05/07/2025
The pavilion around the artesian well near Five Points was a popular spot for gathering a century ago. It would have been a great place to visit on a hot Sunday afternoon. At that time, you could buy bottled Monroe Lithia water for 5 cents (the same price as a Coca-Cola!) The water was said to have fantastic curative properties. Eventually, the new federal Food and Drug Administration banned extravagant advertising claims and many localities that cashed in on the lithium water craze started in Georgia shut down their operations. Monroe has always had high quality water and started making it available to citizens through wooden pipes very early in our history. That tradition of quality service continues today.
May is National Preservation Month, so each week we will be sharing a fun historical fact about Monroe!
Did you know Monroe was once famous for its artesian wells near today’s Five Points? Though we don’t know exactly when they were established, these healing waters flowed until 1926!
Locals and visitors alike swore by their powers. In "A Peak in the Past" by Joy and Kirk Shute, letters describe the wells as miracle workers.
Geo. Shannonhouse said the water was “good for the kidneys, indigestion, and acts like a tonic.”
Dr. J.E. Ashcraft credited the wells with helping fight typhoid fever, noting they were 700–1000 feet deep and sealed to keep out contaminants.
Healing waters or not, Monroe’s artesian wells were legendary along the seaboard coast.
Join us in celebrating the month with a free activity! Learn more at https://www.monroenc.org/596/National-Preservation-Month
