Chalybeate Springs
Winnsboro, Wood County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located on land owned by early settler L. M. Musgrove, the springs near this site first were known as Musgrove Springs. Later called Chalybeate Springs for the high iron content in the water, they gave rise to a thriving resort community. A school was built on land given by William and Susan Bolding in 1881, and the village included churches, stores, and a post office. Walker Fore bought the springs property in the 1880s and built a two-story hotel and spa. The hotel closed in 1895, and the building was razed in 1935. The community declined, and the school closed in the 1950s. (1990)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Originally called Musgrove Springs for the settler who owned the land, these waters were renamed Chalybeate Springs for their heavy iron content and gave rise to a thriving 19th-century resort. After a school was built in 1881, the village added churches, stores, and a post office, and in the 1880s Walker Fore opened a two-story hotel and spa. The hotel closed in 1895, the community faded, and its school shut in the 1950s.
Why it matters
Mineral-spring resorts drew health-seekers across Gilded Age America, and Chalybeate Springs' rise and disappearance shows how a fashion for "taking the waters" could conjure — and then abandon — a whole town.
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Related people
- · L. M. Musgrove
- · Walker Fore
Themes & tags
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