Stafford Springs, Mississippi Explained

Official Name:Stafford Springs, Mississippi
Pushpin Map:Mississippi#USA
Pushpin Label:Stafford Springs
Pushpin Label Position:left
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Mississippi
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Jasper
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:413
Coordinates:31.905°N -88.9333°W
Area Code:601 & 769
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:678203

Stafford Springs, Mississippi is an unincorporated community located in Jasper County, Mississippi, United States, along U.S. Route 11.

History

The community was named for Edward Stafford, who settled in the area in the late 19th century. Stafford was alerted to the presence of a mineral spring in the area by Choctaws, who took their wounded and sick there for its purported healing powers. On May 19, 1892, the Stafford Mineral Springs and Hotel Company was organized in New Orleans. A bottling works was founded the next year and the spring water was soon shipped throughout the country. The Stafford Springs Hotel opened in 1899. The shareholders sold the company in 1918, and visitors stopped arriving to the springs during the Great Depression.[1] The hotel continued to be opened yearly from April to September.[2] In 1952, the Stafford Springs Hotel was demolished. The area was then briefly used for a dude ranch.[3]

The Mississippi Art Colony was located in Stafford Springs from 1962 to 1970.[4]

A post office operated under the name Stafford Springs from 1919 to 1955.[5]

References

  1. Web site: Stafford Mineral Springs Water Pamphlets Collection, ca. 1893, 1898 . The University of Southern Mississippi -- McCain Library and Archives . 29 September 2021.
  2. Book: Mississippi, A Guide to the Magnolia State . 1938 . Works Progress Administration . Washington, DC . 427 . 9781623760236 .
  3. News: Echols . Donna . Mississippi was a worldwide destination for spas… It's in the water! . 29 September 2021 . Clarion-Ledger . May 25, 2015.
  4. Book: Ownby . Ted . Wilson . Charles Reagan . The Mississippi Encyclopedia . 2017 . University Press of Mississippi . Jackson, Mississippi . 9781628466928 . 46 .
  5. Web site: Jasper County . Jim Forte Postal History . September 28, 2021.

External links