Although it might be hard to believe now, the smallest city in Macon County, Red Boiling Springs, was once an epicenter of culture and high societal living. The warm and hot months saw people from all over the world coming to enjoy its unique charm.
From very early on, it was the water that initially drew attention from near and far. It is commonly known that Edmund Jennings was among the first to find the valley as he traveled worn animal trails as he was a hunter. Supposedly, he came upon a dry salt lick where he saw animals gathered and licking the salt. This area would become known as Salt Lick after the Salt Lick Creek was named.
Upon his return home to Kentucky from his travels, Jennings began to tell friends and others about his findings, and many moved to the area almost instantly. There was a man by the name of Sheperd Kirby who had been suffering for years with serious eye infections. While working on logs to build his new home, legend has it that the pain in his eye became so bad that he stopped working and washed his eyes in the spring water that was nearby. By the next morning, Kirby’s eyes were much better, leading him to visit the spring again and repeat the process and his pain was cured within a few short days.
It was the news of this “miracle water†that spread and began to attract more and more people to the area. It is reported that red tinted water was seen bubbling out of the ground, and that is where the name change from Salt Lick to Red Boiling Springs comes from.
The news of the supposed healing power of the water that “boiled†from the ground spread, and people with all sorts of ailments flocked to Red Boiling Springs in search of a cure.
By the year 1860, there was already one hotel built, and several others came in following years. High society people and even dignitaries visited Red Boiling Springs. It became a favorite spot for hundreds of people each year and continued for decades. Three of those historic hotels remain today, The Thomas House, Armour Hotel and The Donoho Hotel. While the number of visitors is nothing like it was in those years when first built, people still come from all over the world to see these grand relics of the past and enjoy the small town feel of Red Boiling Springs.
Some of the Information in this article was from “Red Boiling Springs, The Tradition Lives,†by Jim Bellar.
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