A Road Trip to Buffalo Springs: History, Healing Water, and a Little Adventure
Some of the best adventures start with no real plan at all.
A few months ago I found myself driving around with Rocky, who lives up near the North Carolina-Virginia line. Rocky had a historic site in mind that he wanted to show me, and before long we were pulling into a place I had never heard of but will not soon forget. He took me to Buffalo Springs in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, and it turned out to be one of those hidden gems that makes you wonder why more people are not talking about it.
How It All Began: A Buffalo, a Spring, and a Colonel
The story of Buffalo Springs starts back in 1726, when Colonel William Byrd was out surveying the boundary between Virginia and Carolina. During his travels, he witnessed something that stopped him in his tracks: Native Americans hunting a local buffalo for food and drinking from a nearby spring. That moment, the buffalo and the spring coming together in one place, is how Buffalo Springs got its name.
The Lithia Connection: What Is in That Water?
Buffalo Springs is also known by another name: Buffalo Lithia Springs. The “Lithia” part comes from the belief, popular in the 1800s, that the spring water contained lithium and therefore held remarkable healing properties.
Now, before you picture people getting a little too relaxed at the dinner table, the folks at Bottled Poetry put the lithium content into perspective with this gem of a quote:
“For a person to obtain any therapeutic dose of lithium by drinking Buffalo Lithia Spring Water, he would have to drink from 150,000 to 225,000 gallons per day.”
Whether the water held true healing properties or not, one thing is certain: people came from all over the world because they believed it could help them. And sometimes that belief, that hope, is the beginning of healing all on its own.
From Local Spring to World Famous Resort
By 1790, visitors were already making their way to Buffalo Springs to experience the water firsthand. And the crowd was not exactly ordinary. Thomas Jefferson, General Scott, and General Santa Anna were among the notable guests who made the trip.
As word spread, the spring’s reputation grew far beyond Virginia. The healing waters were bottled and shipped not only across the United States but as far away as Europe. To meet the demand of those who wanted to experience it in person, a full resort was built on the property.
And this was no modest operation. The resort featured two hotels, two bowling alleys, a dining room that could seat 250 guests, a stocked lake, horseback riding, and walking trails. A description written in August of 1874 paints a vivid picture:
“The Hotel is a one-story building, containing the ballroom, parlor, and office, a very admirable arrangement, as no one is so disturbed by the music and dancing. The dining room takes up another spacious building just in rear of the hotel. Scattered all over the grounds and around the edges of the beautiful green, are about 50 cottages, containing some 100 rooms.”
It sounds like quite the destination. A 19th century wellness retreat before wellness retreats were even a thing.
The Cure-All List That Reads Like a Modern Drug Commercial
According to Abandoned Country, the waters of Buffalo Springs were believed to treat just about everything. The list of ailments the spring water was said to cure reads almost exactly like those rapid-fire disclaimers at the end of a television pharmaceutical ad:
“Dropsical affections, visceral obstructions, protracted intermittent and remittent fevers, chronic diseases of the skin, dyspepsia, convalescence from fevers of every grade and type, female complaints, and almost every disease of the pelvic organs of both sexes.”
Buffalo Springs Today
If you visit the site today, you will find something much quieter than its heyday. The grand hotels, the bowling alleys, and the 50 cottages are all gone, dismantled and removed over the years. What remains is a peaceful public picnic area with a shelter, historic signs that tell the story of the springs, and perhaps most importantly, the spring itself, still flowing from a pipe on the property.
On my visit, I did what any curious traveler would do. I drank from the spring.
Was the water cold and refreshing? Yes. Will I now be cured of “visceral obstructions” and “female complaints”? One can only hope.
Why You Should Visit Buffalo Springs
If you ever find yourself in the Mecklenburg County area of Virginia, Buffalo Springs is absolutely worth a stop. It is free, it is peaceful, and it is the kind of place that reminds you how much history is quietly hiding just off the beaten path.
Here is what you can look forward to:
We live in a fantastic world, friends. Get out and explore it.
Happy travels,
KathieyV
My father purchased the whole buffalo springs complex in 1940 and we lived there every summer until 1950 when we had to sell because of the dam construction. I used to love to go to the beautiful lake and fish as a little boy and my dad used to give me two dollars to help work in the bottling plant.
In April 2022, came from my home in California to visit my family in Danville, Virginia and drove down to see where I spent my early years in the summer. I was heartbroken to see that everything had been torn down, and the lake was gone. I have so many memories even at 83 years old now. When we first got it, the hotel was partially still there and the cabins were still there.
Sadly,
Brooke Temple
Hi Brooke,
Thank you so much for the comment and your story. I am sure it was difficult seeing all the changes in the property, and I bet it was shocking for you to see how much was actually missing when compared to the time you were there.
I did drink from the spring, so I am expecting a very long life:-) I hope you are doing well in California. You said your family is in Danville. Have they ventured to the new casino yet? Caesars is in the process of building a huge casino, but for now, they have a tent open 24/7. I am not a big gambler, I have been a couple of times, and my limit is never over $40.00…but it is fun.
Please stay in touch.
Kathiey
Hi Brooke. I came across your comment and I run the Clarksville Regional Museum Facebook page. We have a whole room dedicated to Buffalo Springs. If you ever get back this way it would be amazing to meet. My husband, daughter and I have become obsessed with the property. We have found a lot of buried treasure around the site. I would love to speak with you and find out more about when your father owned it. You can reach me at heatherlabone85@gmail.com if you would like.