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THE SPRINGS OF VIRGINIA Life, Love, and Death at the Waters 1775 - 1900 by Perceval Reiners
THE SPRINGS OF Life, Love, and Death at the Waters 1775 - 1900 by Perceval Reiners. 1941 Hardcover 9 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches, 301 pages including Index, Bibliography and Appendix, University of North Carolina Press
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1941
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May 23, 2026
There's something in the water.
I love springs. Not spring, yuck, least favorite season. I love springs though, the plural, because they are always refreshing. When I through hiked the AT, coming upon a spring bubbling up from nothing into something was...something! Before that, I went when I was still in elementary school to the Homestead and found the Warm Spring so enticing. How could this spring which is far removed from the Ring of Fire that I had learned about in school exist? How could it provide such a refreshing dip, even in the cold of winter. Furthermore, how am I in the same pool that Jefferson dipped in centuries ago?
My love affair with springs runs deep, but it pales in comparison to the love that the 19th century had with these springs. They were the social hotspots of the day and the dances, the balls, the politics, the drinking, the cavorting - this is the place I would be if I could time travel. Thankfully this long out of print book retelling the social affairs of the people at the springs across Virginia brings to life their wild times around these bubbling brooks. I found it at an antique shop. It is nonfiction, but is written in a way that appeals to fiction writers. The author scoured the social pages of newspapers across the North and South and shares with the reader how the springs impacted the lives of huge figures in American life. Presidents Pierce and John Tyler are there. Robert E. Lee is there post Civil War. And the ladies who were the "it" girls of the day are there too.
Read if you're into this niche part of history, and you have an excellent antique dealer near your home.
I love springs. Not spring, yuck, least favorite season. I love springs though, the plural, because they are always refreshing. When I through hiked the AT, coming upon a spring bubbling up from nothing into something was...something! Before that, I went when I was still in elementary school to the Homestead and found the Warm Spring so enticing. How could this spring which is far removed from the Ring of Fire that I had learned about in school exist? How could it provide such a refreshing dip, even in the cold of winter. Furthermore, how am I in the same pool that Jefferson dipped in centuries ago?
My love affair with springs runs deep, but it pales in comparison to the love that the 19th century had with these springs. They were the social hotspots of the day and the dances, the balls, the politics, the drinking, the cavorting - this is the place I would be if I could time travel. Thankfully this long out of print book retelling the social affairs of the people at the springs across Virginia brings to life their wild times around these bubbling brooks. I found it at an antique shop. It is nonfiction, but is written in a way that appeals to fiction writers. The author scoured the social pages of newspapers across the North and South and shares with the reader how the springs impacted the lives of huge figures in American life. Presidents Pierce and John Tyler are there. Robert E. Lee is there post Civil War. And the ladies who were the "it" girls of the day are there too.
Read if you're into this niche part of history, and you have an excellent antique dealer near your home.
Displaying 1 of 1 review