Woman's enterprise., 1922-12-15
DISCOVER OF GREENWELL
SPRINGS.

SPKlNGO.
Now that Greenwell Springs have
again come to the forefront and are
attracting the attention of the public
as a tuberculosis refuge a brief
sketch of its discovery and occupancy
prior to the Civil War might be con-
sidered timely information. For this
we copy from paper read before the
Historical Society prepared by our
esteemed fellow-ciitzen, Mr.. c. X.
David. The names Of the young men
who discovered the Springs and
brought them to public notice are
given in initial letters only in the
valuable paper, but for the informa-
ton of our readers we take the lib
erty of stating that those initials
represent Messrs. Harvey Skolfeld,
Felix Brunot and Adolph Huguet, the
last named is still living and among
US and one of our oldest native citl-
zens:
"Change, eternal change,
All nature owns thy mystic touch,
But most of all on man
Workest thou thy Miracles
Fifteen miles northeast of this, our
Capital City, as the crow flies, nestled
in the pines, on the bank of the beau
Itiful River Amite, is what is known
as the famous Greenwell Springs.
How old these springs are, we know
not; it is fair to presume that they
have been there since "the stars sang
out on earth's glad natal morn;;" it
lis possible that they were used to
|slake the thirst and cure the ills Of
our Indian predecessors. In fancy's
eye we may see the dusky Indian
maid drinking of the health-givine
waters and using its still surface a!
a mirror by which to make her toilet
lit is evident that Ponce de Leon dit
not discover them, else they would
have been named Eureka, and tn
search for the fountain Of you'll
abandoned and old age abolished
; With their antiquity this brief ha
nothing to do.
The modern history begins abou
1.-The middle of the last century-abou
D 1850, as we'll as can be ascertained-
when they were discovered by accl
? dent, as nearly all discoveries hav
! been. Three young men, A. H., F
e S., and F. B., full of adventure an
|. romance, set out on horseback on
y bright autumn morning, in search {
). game, fish, etc., and armed "cap-s
pie" They took the open road goin
Z eastward. What else they found, "
) know not, but toward night the
e came upon a farm house in a sma
clearing, and nearby, just under Il
hill, they found a spring. The
y drank the water, using the 90
e gourd,' (now prescribed and su
e, ceeded by the individual drinkir
> cup). They found the water goo
. they drank again and found it vel
:. good. Then then approached Il
j: far mhouse, owned by Mr.. Greenwe
and asked his kind hospitality for Il
u night. He consented to do the be
,s he could, but told them that he HI
- no bed for them, except in the co
L e. crib, which was accepted with graf
~ full thanks, and they retired, but n
to sleep. Their experience was e
citing, and repeated now, is amusin
The rats, the weevils, the owls, t
of watch dog, etc., made sleep impos
., BILE. They arose early and sought
80 spring again where they made tn
GU ablutions and drank the water. Th
n were very thirsty. as they had m,
tie terious bottle Of something whi
in seemed to create thirst.
If they killed any game or fish,
=, know not. They returned to to
VA filled with the story Of this wond
WI full spring possibly exaggerat
III Their wonderful stories about the '
he ter finally reached the ears of one
n's S. Pike, a young banker of Bal
Rouge, who investigated and beca
the purchaser of the farm and
lbs spring. He divided a portion ne
are est the spring into lots and began
md improve the same by building a 81
~ mer cottage. At first the sale
wv lots was slow, but by judicious
ulo vertising, aided by an epidemic
yellow fever in New Orleans and E
ta- on Rouge, in 1853, a demand was
,od ated and the rush began. Lots "
bought by people Of Baton Rou
WI New Orleans, and along the Mis-
1ul sippi river, in West Baton Ro,
no. Iberville. ctr Cotta1as rano;no.