What a great title for this week's blog post! I found it on a copy of an old panoramic postcard that my sister gave me.
Clairmont Springs has a rich history in the story of the state of Alabama. The land in the foothills of Cheaha Mountain of the Appalachians was inhabited by American Indians and appreciated for the many springs flowing out of the mountain. The ownership of the "Clairmont Springs" land after the American Indian dates back to 1830. The Clairmont Springs resort is 18 miles from Talladega, in the northwestern part of Clay County. After changing ownership of the land over the years, in 1909 the Clairmont Springs Company developed the land with a hotel, a dance pavilion, and lots for summer cottages. The development was on the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railroad.
This week's blog is based on the book, Historic Alabama Hotels and Resorts by James F. Sulzby, Jr., copyright 1960, and the lines in italics are direct quotes from this book.
During World War I, trains stopped at the hotel for the passengers to obtain meals, since the railroad had no diners on this route. These arrangements lasted through 1920. Many of the passengers later came back to the resort as guests, never forgetting the meals they enjoyed on their their stopover at Clairmont Springs.
A recreation hall and a swimming pool, facilities for dancing, tennis, and horseback riding, and a five-acre lake for fishing and boating provide entertainment for the hotel guests. For those who enjoy rocking and talking, there is the usual spacious screened porch.
It is a beautiful spot where one may rest and appreciate the beauty of living. It is "off the beaten path," and those who come that way come for a purpose. The purpose could easily be a pleasant week end or a longer visit at this 'marvelous-time' place, where simple living reigns and where mountain breezes blow.
The old hotel register shows names from Georgia, Florida, the District of Columbia, Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, New York, Mississippi, Kentucky, California, and from all parts of Alabama. Perhaps the largest clientele has come form Birmingham, Talladega, Ashland, Lineville, Alexander City, Roanoke, Opelika, Montgomery, and Bessemer.
I like this old book about historic hotels and resorts. I like the way it is written in the present tense for Clairmont because when this book was published, Clairmont Springs was still a busy resort. There is one detail the writer left out about the resort's activities that I can actually remember, and that is the sport of "Horseshoes!" I remember while walking to the pool in the afternoons, we stopped to watch the men playing "Horseshoes" in the lawn across from the hotel.
So, Clairmont Springs History 101 has come to a close this week. I hope you have enjoyed reading excerpts from this book and seeing these pictures. Come back to next week's edition of Family Trails as we continue on this month's trail through Clairmont.
Love,
Mariellan
