Stafford Springs, Mississippi

Stafford Springs, Mississippi is an unincorporated community located in Jasper County, Mississippi, United States, along U.S. Route 11.[1]

Stafford Springs, Mississippi
Abandoned buildings that were part of the Stafford Springs Motor Lodge
Abandoned buildings that were part of the Stafford Springs Motor Lodge
Stafford Springs is located in Mississippi
Stafford Springs
Stafford Springs
Stafford Springs is located in the United States
Stafford Springs
Stafford Springs
Coordinates: 31°54′18″N 88°56′00″W / 31.90500°N 88.93333°W / 31.90500; -88.93333
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyJasper
Elevation
413 ft (126 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)601 & 769
GNIS feature ID678203[1]

History

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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.[2] The hotel continued to be opened yearly from April to September.[3] In 1952, the Stafford Springs Hotel was demolished. The area was then briefly used for a dude ranch.[4]

The Mississippi Art Colony was located in Stafford Springs from 1962 to 1970.[5]

A post office operated under the name Stafford Springs from 1919 to 1955.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Stafford Springs, Mississippi". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Stafford Mineral Springs Water Pamphlets Collection, ca. 1893, 1898". The University of Southern Mississippi -- McCain Library and Archives. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  3. ^ Mississippi, A Guide to the Magnolia State. Washington, DC: Works Progress Administration. 1938. p. 427. ISBN 9781623760236.
  4. ^ Echols, Donna (May 25, 2015). "Mississippi was a worldwide destination for spas… It's in the water!". Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  5. ^ Ownby, Ted; Wilson, Charles Reagan (2017). The Mississippi Encyclopedia. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. p. 46. ISBN 9781628466928.
  6. ^ "Jasper County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
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