History of the Resorts in Hot Springs, North Carolina
The land on which the current Hot Springs Resort and Spa sits has a long history of popular and fashionable resorts—taking advantage of the natural mineral springs on the land first discovered by the Cherokee before white settlers even arrived. Situated on a drover’s trail, the first stopping point constructed here (in 1788) was a tavern which eventually developed in The Depot, a hotel operated by Wade Hampton (who became a governor of South Carolina). Next (in 1832) the Patton brothers (James and John) for whom Patton Avenue in nearby Asheville is named, acquired the property and built The Patton. In its time it became known as one of the most luxurious resorts in the East with 13 white columns representing the 13 original colonies. After the Civil War, Colonel J. H. Rumbough and his wife Carrie purchased the property. When the resort burned in 1884, Rumbough sold it to the Southern Improvement Company (who would deed the property back to Rumbough before 1900) and the 4-story Mountain Park Hotel was constructed on the site. Luxuries included electricity for all of the 200 bedrooms, a bathhouse built over the springs, separate rooms for massage therapy treatments, and the first golf course in North Carolina. When the hotel burned in 1920, the Rumbough daughter Bessie Safford built the Hot Springs Inn and the property went through an unsuccessful phase. It was not until the 1990s that the current owners rescued the neglected property to restore it to its historic status. For a more detailed history of the resort, go to the Historic Marker page. The site also has some rich history during the Civil War, World War I and the Depression.
