Oliver Springs, Tennessee

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Oliver Springs is a town in Tennessee, United States. Its population was 3,303 at the 2000 census. Oliver Springs is divided among three counties: Anderson County, Morgan County, and Roane County. It is included in the "Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area", which consists of Roane County.

Oliver Springs is located at 36°2′17″N, 84°20′13″W (36.038060, -84.336891)^GR1.

1 History
2 Education
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 Sources
6 External links

[edit] History

Oliver Springs was founded in 1830 as Winter's Gap, which was named for its first permanent settler of European descent, Major Moses Winter.

Before that time, the area around Oliver Springs had been used by Native Americans as a hunting ground and campsite. Natural mineral springs and abundant wildlife on Windrock Mountain encouraged Native Americans to stay. The springs, whose reputation for miraculous medicinal properties lasted until the 20th century, were called as "Tah-hah-lehaha", which meant "healing waters" in the Cherokee language.

The land remained unexplored by European settlers until 1761. At this time Elisha Walden explored through the Clinch and Powell River valleys. However, settlement in the area did not begin in earnest until the 1790s. Growth remained slow.

In 1826, Richard Oliver became the town's first postmaster. The town was re-named Oliver's Springs in his honor, then to briefly to Poplar Springs, and then to Oliver Springs. Oliver provided mail service from his 35-room mansion, which also served as an inn. He was the first to develop the commercial potential of the mineral springs. He would transport his guests between the springs and the inn. During the American Civil War, the inn was used as a hospital by both sides.

Joseph Richards bought Oliver's land in 1873. He built the first resort hotel, which was replaced in 1894, when a palatial 150-room hotel with then-modern amenities opened. Oliver Springs became a popular resort town. The Oliver Springs Hotel catered to wealthy guests, who came from all over the U.S. and Europe to drink the waters and bathe in the springs. In 1888, the railroad came to Oliver Springs and brought thousands of visitors to the springs. Unfortunately, the hotel burned in 1905. It was decided to cover the springs rather than rebuild the hotel. Evidence of water conduits and reservoirs can still be seen on the site.

In the early part of the twentieth century, the area became dependent on the coal industry. According to historian Keith Glass, the Windrock Coal and Coke Company, a subsidiary of the Bessemer Coal, Iron and Land Company of Birmingham, Alabama began operating a coal mine near Oliver Springs in approximately 1904.

In 1942, during World War II, the U.S. government went in to the neighboring communities of Robertsville, Edgemoor, East Fork, Elza, Bethel, Scarborough, and Wheat and built the secret city of Oak Ridge as part of the Manhattan Project. Eventually, the economy of Oliver Springs would grow to be dependent on government employment in Oak Ridge, where employment levels declined after the end of the Cold War.

In the years following the end of the Cold War, Oliver Springs and its neighbors have struggled to re-establish a solid foundation on which to base their economies. Oliver Springs has experimented with several industries. In the late 1990s, the movie October Sky was filmed in nearby coal mining areas as well as the city's downtown area. Currently, the local economy is beginning to take advantage of the mountains, which are very popular among all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riders.

[edit] Education

The city of Oliver Springs is served by the school systems of the three counties among which the city is divided.

Anderson County: Norwood Elementary School (K-5); Norwood Middle School (6-8); Clinton High School (9–12)

Morgan County: Coalfield School (K-12)

Roane County: Oliver Springs Elementary School (K-8); Oliver Springs High School (9–12)

The recently restored Oliver Springs Railroad Depot, built in 1896 by Southern Railway, now houses the Oliver Springs Public Library. In addition to the traditional book holdings, the library is also home to the city’s historical archives, originally collected by Snyder E. Roberts. Much of the historical information on this page was gathered from those archives.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.3 km² (5.2 mi²), all land. The town lies at the northern border of the Ridge-and-Valley physiographic province at the edge of the Crab Orchard Mountains section of the Cumberland Mountains. Walden Ridge, which marks the boundary between these physiographic provinces, rises up over the town, which is located adjacent to a water gap in the ridge.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,303 people, 1,369 households, and 958 families residing in the town. The population density was 247.6/km² (642.0/mi²). There were 1,459 housing units at an average density of 109.4/km² (283.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.85% White, 3.48% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.

There were 1,369 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,620, and the median income for a family was $39,066. Males had a median income of $28,233 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,818. About 10.9% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 22.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Sources

Much of the historical information came from the Oliver Springs homepage (see below), which was written by Kenneth W. Humphrey.
Demographic data are from the United States 2000 Census