Tallahatta Springs near Thomasville, Alabama was once a 'celebrated watering place' in Clarke County

Historical marker at Tallahatta Springs.

My wife and I rode over to Thomasville on Saturday morning to visit an antique store that she’d been wanting to check out. After we left, we struck off down Tallahatta Springs Road, and six miles outside of town we found ourselves at the Christian Fellowship Baptist Church. As I attempted to turn around in the church’s driveway, something caught my eye.

At first, I thought it was a grave marker, but upon closer inspection, I realized that it was a historical marker. I hopped out of the truck for a closer look and saw that the marker was about the old Tallahatta Springs community between Thomasville and the Campbell community.

According to the marker, which was erected in 1982 by the Clarke County Historical Society, the natural springs that this community was named after was once called a “celebrated watering place.” Believed at one time to have numbered 17 in all, these springs were tightly packed into an area smaller than a baseball diamond. These springs were located about a quarter of a mile from the church at the headwaters of Tallahatta Creek.

These mineral waters contained sulphur, iron and lime and made this location into a health resort in the 1800s. One of the earliest settlers of the area was George Lowder, who was reportedly brutally murdered in 1857. Other prominent names associated with this property and its development were Col. B.C. Foster, Travis L. Bedsole, Harry Wilkerson, Jesse U. Harrison Sr. and S.M. Harrison.

The marker went on to say that the name “Tallahatta” is a Muscogee Creek Indian word meaning “a town has been taken with many springs.”

Back at the newspaper office on Monday, I pulled out my trusty copy of “Place Names in Alabama” by Virginia O. Foscue to see what it had to say about Tallahatta Springs. Foscue wrote that the location was originally known as Lowder Springs for George Lowder, who owned the land around 1830. Foscue also noted that the placed was renamed Tallahatta Springs by Benjamin C. Foster, who opened a health resort there in the 1840s.

Foscue also had a differing opinion as to the origin of the word “Tallahatta.” She wrote that the word comes from the Choctaw Indian word “tali,” which means “rock” or “metal” and the word “hata,” which means “white.” Some sources say that rock formations can be found in the creek farther to the west, near Campbell, and suggest that perhaps they are the source of its name.

Foscue also noted that the Tallahatta Springs post office was established in 1876, but at some point, that post office was discontinued. In 1880, Tallahatta Springs had a population of 560, but today only a scattering of homes remain. This community also once had a school, but it eventually consolidated with Thomasville years ago.

In the end, if you’re ever in Thomasville with a few minutes to spare, you might want to ride out to see Tallahatta Springs for yourself. It’s a short ride from Thomasville and easy to find. All you need to remember is that if you’ve passed the Christian Fellowship Baptist Church, you’ve gone too far.