Ramsey Springs, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Ramsey Springs is an unincorporated community
in Stone County
, Mississippi
, United States
. It is part of the Gulfport
–Biloxi
, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
in Stone County, (formerly Harrison County
) Mississippi, and dates back to the days of Native Americans
. The Reverend Abner Walker and his brother George were directed to the artesian springs
situated on the banks of Red Creek, a tributary
of the Pascagoula River
. Red Creek watershed
covers over 400 square miles (1036 square kilometers) in south Mississippi; the creek derives its name from the reddish stain of naturally-occurring tannins that are carried in the water.
George Walker was suffering from a stomach ailment which the Native Americans said could be cured if he drank the mineral spring water
. Walker began using the water and found that it relieved his stomach pain. Impressed with the water's curative powers, the Walkers told others about the spring, located on the A.C. Ramsey homestead. In 1820, Ramsey had moved to the area and cleared land on a bluff along Red Creek. As early as 1896, a newspaper advertisement referenced a boarding house
on the property. Soon, people arrived by the hundreds to camp near the natural spring and use the water for drinking and bathing.
Andrew Ramsey, an heir to the property, and A. Baldwin developed the spring and later sold out to Dr. George McHenry and George Bustin, who promoted the spring water as a cure for stomach ulcers and skin diseases. An analysis of the spring water, made by the National Bureau of Standards
, listed eight chemicals, plus a small amount of radium
. In the 1890s, a pamphlet advertised the advantages of Ramsey Mineral Springs water. The water was publicized for treating skin disorders, blood and bowel diseases, and liver and kidney complaints.
Through the years, ownership of the property changed hands, and around 1920, a hotel was constructed by the Miller family. The 25- to 35-room hotel was situated about one-quarter mile (0.4 kilometer) from the spring and Red Creek. As word spread, more and more visitors came to Ramsey Springs for its resort atmosphere. Guests relaxed and enjoyed home-cooked dinners and other accommodations in the rustic hotel. The hotel's interior was decorated with curious timbers, pine cones, and taxidermy specimens from the local forest. The huge lobby had a large, cobblestone fireplace and a ceiling of cypress logs that supported the upper floors. On the grounds of the hotel was a swimming pool that contained clear, cold water from the natural spring. During the first half of the 20th century, Ramsey Springs Hotel was booked solid by Mississippi Gulf Coast
residents as a weekend and vacation retreat. Interest in Ramsey Springs Hotel waned after World War II
, because the Mississippi Gulf Coast, from Gulfport
to Biloxi
, experienced development of motels and hotels and construction of a sandy beach-front along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico
, which was paralleled by U.S. Highway 90.
In 1961, the Ramsey Springs Hotel was demolished. Fifty years later, the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain acquired 57 acres (23 hectares) of the Ramsey homestead property and conveyed it to the State of Mississippi with an understanding that the property would be dedicated to conservation and managed for public-use because of its ecological, cultural, and scenic significance.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Stone County
Stone County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,622 people, 4,747 households, and 3,626 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 5,343 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Gulfport
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
–Biloxi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area
Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area
The Gulfport-Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region that covers three counties - Hancock, Harrison, and Stone. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 246,190. The area was significantly impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A...
.
History
The Ramsey Springs Community is located approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of the City of WigginsWiggins, Mississippi
Wiggins is a city in Stone County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,849 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Stone County.-History:...
in Stone County, (formerly Harrison County
Harrison County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:* De Soto National Forest * Gulf Islands National Seashore - Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 189,601 people, 71,538 households, and 48,574 families residing in the county. The population density was 326 people per square mile . There were 79,636 housing...
) Mississippi, and dates back to the days of Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. The Reverend Abner Walker and his brother George were directed to the artesian springs
Artesian aquifer
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. This causes the water level in a well to rise to a point where hydrostatic equilibrium has been reached. This type of well is called an artesian well...
situated on the banks of Red Creek, a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Pascagoula River
Pascagoula River
The Pascagoula River is a river, about 80 mi long, in southeastern Mississippi in the United States. The river drains an area of about 8,800 sq mi and flows into Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexico....
. Red Creek watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
covers over 400 square miles (1036 square kilometers) in south Mississippi; the creek derives its name from the reddish stain of naturally-occurring tannins that are carried in the water.
George Walker was suffering from a stomach ailment which the Native Americans said could be cured if he drank the mineral spring water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
. Walker began using the water and found that it relieved his stomach pain. Impressed with the water's curative powers, the Walkers told others about the spring, located on the A.C. Ramsey homestead. In 1820, Ramsey had moved to the area and cleared land on a bluff along Red Creek. As early as 1896, a newspaper advertisement referenced a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
on the property. Soon, people arrived by the hundreds to camp near the natural spring and use the water for drinking and bathing.
Andrew Ramsey, an heir to the property, and A. Baldwin developed the spring and later sold out to Dr. George McHenry and George Bustin, who promoted the spring water as a cure for stomach ulcers and skin diseases. An analysis of the spring water, made by the National Bureau of Standards
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
, listed eight chemicals, plus a small amount of radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
. In the 1890s, a pamphlet advertised the advantages of Ramsey Mineral Springs water. The water was publicized for treating skin disorders, blood and bowel diseases, and liver and kidney complaints.
Through the years, ownership of the property changed hands, and around 1920, a hotel was constructed by the Miller family. The 25- to 35-room hotel was situated about one-quarter mile (0.4 kilometer) from the spring and Red Creek. As word spread, more and more visitors came to Ramsey Springs for its resort atmosphere. Guests relaxed and enjoyed home-cooked dinners and other accommodations in the rustic hotel. The hotel's interior was decorated with curious timbers, pine cones, and taxidermy specimens from the local forest. The huge lobby had a large, cobblestone fireplace and a ceiling of cypress logs that supported the upper floors. On the grounds of the hotel was a swimming pool that contained clear, cold water from the natural spring. During the first half of the 20th century, Ramsey Springs Hotel was booked solid by Mississippi Gulf Coast
Mississippi Gulf Coast
The Mississippi Gulf Coast refers to the three Mississippi counties which lie on the Gulf of Mexico: Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.The region was severely damaged by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and again by Hurricane Katrina in 2005....
residents as a weekend and vacation retreat. Interest in Ramsey Springs Hotel waned after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, because the Mississippi Gulf Coast, from Gulfport
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
to Biloxi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, experienced development of motels and hotels and construction of a sandy beach-front along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, which was paralleled by U.S. Highway 90.
In 1961, the Ramsey Springs Hotel was demolished. Fifty years later, the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain acquired 57 acres (23 hectares) of the Ramsey homestead property and conveyed it to the State of Mississippi with an understanding that the property would be dedicated to conservation and managed for public-use because of its ecological, cultural, and scenic significance.