08/28/2026
Butts County, Indian Springs, around 1920…Gordon Lee Watson and an unidentified “lady friend” pause for the camera in a horse-drawn buggy, with the old mill and its large waterwheel visible behind them.
By the time this photograph was taken, Indian Springs had been attracting visitors for generations. The mineral spring—known and used by Muscogee people long before white settlement—became famous during the 19th century for water believed to possess healing qualities. A white visitor, Douglas Watson, recorded encountering the springs in 1792 and reportedly called the place “Gunpowder Springs” because of the strong sulfur smell.
Indian Springs later developed into one of Georgia's best-known resort communities. Hotels, bathhouses and other amusements drew visitors who came to “take the waters,” socialize and escape the summer heat. William McIntosh, a prominent Lower Creek leader, and his cousin Joel Bailey built the Indian Springs Hotel in 1823. Two years later, the controversial Treaty of Indian Springs was signed there—an agreement that attempted to cede the remaining Muscogee lands in Georgia and ultimately cost McIntosh his life.
The mill in the background is another reminder that Indian Springs was more than a watering place. Waterpower from the creek supported milling operations here during the 19th century. State records indicate that a gristmill was constructed near the springs around 1875, using the flowing water to turn its wheel.
And there is a wonderful bit of transition captured in this photograph. Around 1920, automobiles were becoming increasingly common on Georgia roads, but Gordon Lee Watson and his companion were still traveling the old-fashioned way—by horse and buggy.
Just a few years later, in 1927, the state would formally establish the Indian Springs property as a state forest park, beginning its evolution into today's Indian Springs State Park.
A quiet afternoon outing preserved more than a century ago—with the horse, buggy and old mill capturing a Georgia world that was rapidly changing.
Georgia on My Mind curated by Lisa Land Cooper - Author and Historian
© 2026 Lisa Land Cooper – Author and Historian
