“Hidden History”
Joe Guy
Its advertisements were in newspapers all over the eastern United States, an open invitation to its “medicinal waters, magnificent scenery”, and “dry, invigorating atmosphere”. At 2000 feet above sea level on the side of Starr Mountain near the McMinn-Monroe County Line, White Cliff Springs Hotelwas heralded as the “Saratoga” of the south.
As mineral springs were once considered as a naturally occurring medicinal resource, a small hotel and cabins were built alongside such springs on Starr Mountain by Major Joseph Peck around 1850, overlooking the Conasauga Valley area of Monroe County. An advertisement in the Athens Post said the hotel’s springs were “…Tonic, Diuretic, and Alternative, and have proved very effacious in relieving diseases of the Liver, Kidneys, and Stomach, and have acted as a sovereign remedy in Chlorosis and Dysmenorrhea”. J. Harvey Magill of Mouse Creek (later Niota) purchased the hotel in 1860 and expanded it. It survived the Civil War intact, although the remote site attracted many of the “outliers” and bushwhackers that prowled the region. By 1869, the hotel’s business was booming.
But a fire destroyed the structure in 1869, only to rebuilt by Magill to an even grander scale in 1871. Photographs exist of a three-storied hotel with verandas enclosing all sides that gave visitors a spectacular view of the mountain and valley below. The new hotel had over 100 rooms, with a large ballroom on the bottom floor, along with a barbershop and a spacious lobby complete with a piano and organ. A poem penned by A. M. Tuttle spoke of White Cliff with a “view kaleidoscopic” and sitting on “balconies of stone”.
Tuberculosis was a common illness during those times, and it was believed that the dry, thin mountain air at resorts like White Cliff provided relief. Of course, the springs were believed medicinal as well, and patrons routinely dipped in the covered pools that held the fresh mountain waters. These springs were said to be rich in “chalybeate, alum, sulphur, freestone, iron, and magnesia”.
From all over the south, northeast, and midwest, visitors left their trains at Athens and Mouse Creek, riding in wagons and carriages the twenty miles to “hack stations” at the foot of Starr Mountain. “Hacks” were small carriages, suited for the steep mountain roads and driven by experienced local men who knew the dangers of the ascent. Remnants of the old hack roads still exist, as does at least one hack station at the intersection of Hwy 39E and Hwy 310. After the harrowing ride up the side of Starr Mountain, the visitors could finally relax after their day-long journey. In 1895, the trip was made considerably shorter when the rail line was extended from Athens to Tellico Plains, and patrons could debark at White Cliff Station at the base of the mountain.
It must have truly been a vacation for the times. The cool mountain air still drifts over the mountain today, and the quiet forest is still relaxing to a visitor to the area. Patrons took hikes over both Starr and Black mountains, stopping off at the Bowers home, Bullet Creek Falls, and the nearby cliffs of white granite from where the springs took their name. Another source of amusement to the patrons was the rare appearance of the haggard hermit, Mason Evans, who resided in a cave on the other side of the mountain and would creep around the hotel looking for food. An indication of the importance of the hotel was the fact that a Bell telephone line was run up the mountain by 1893 to provide communications back to Athens. At times, up to 400 guests enjoyed White Cliff’s amenities.
Business continued for the prosperous Magill, until his death from injuries sustained in a fall down a flight of stairs at the hotel in the late 1890’s. The building and springs were then purchased by R.L. Everhart, who ran it as a boarding house. In the early twentieth century the property was owned by Jack and Harry T. Burn of Niota, and was for a time used as a hunting club. But the old building finally fell into disrepair, and was torn down around 1937.
Today the Cherokee National Forest has covered up the hotel site on Starr Mountain road. Only a few bricks remain, as do the stones that surround the springs, of what was once one of the most heralded vacation sites in America.
Joe Guy is a nationally published author, newspaper columnist, and historian residing in McMinn County, TN. He may be reached via emial at guyjd@hotmail.com or at PO Box 489, Englewood, TN 37329