Sulphur Springs, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sulphur Springs, Alabama
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 Sulphur Springs, Alabama
Location in Alabama
Sulphur Springs, Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | DeKalb |
| Elevation | 925 ft (282 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 256 |
Sulphur Springs is a small place in DeKalb County, Alabama. It is called an unincorporated community. This means it is a group of homes and businesses that is not officially a town or city with its own local government.
Contents
History of Sulphur Springs
Sulphur Springs started in the late 1800s. It was a stop along the Alabama Great Southern Railroad. The community got its name from natural springs nearby. These springs had water that contained sulfur. Many travelers believed this "sulphur water" was good for their health.
The Famous Hotel
In 1871, a large hotel called the Alabama White Sulphur Springs Hotel was built. It had 80 rooms and six smaller cottages. Colonel A. B. Hanna built this hotel. It became a very popular place for people to visit and relax. The hotel was a busy resort for many years.
However, by 1929, fewer tourists were coming. More people had their own cars, so they could travel to many different places. This made it harder for the hotel to attract visitors.
A New Purpose for the Hotel
The year 1929 was also when the Wall Street Crash happened. This was a time when the economy in the United States faced big problems. Because of this, the hotel owners decided to give the hotel away. They donated it to the YWCA of Chattanooga.
The YWCA is a group that helps women and girls. They used the old hotel as a summer camp called Camp Elizabeth Lupton. It stayed a camp until 1953.
The Post Office Story
Sulphur Springs had its own post office starting in 1885. It helped people send and receive mail until 1918. After that, the post office moved. It went about two miles away, across the state line into Sulphur Springs, Georgia.
The train station that brought the mail was in Georgia. So, the post office moved closer to the train. People called "riders" would then carry the mail from the Georgia post office to the community in Alabama.
