Georgia Natural Wonder #2 - Radium Springs. 730

[Top Row Dawg]

Georgia Natural Wonder #2 - Radium Springs

Pouring out 70,000 gallons of clear, fresh water per minute, Radium Springs is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. Located on the east side of the Flint River at Albany, the spring is now preserved as an ecological and environmental park. Although swimming is no longer allowed in the spring, it served that purpose for many years and once was one of Georgia's most popular resort areas. Bathing in mineral waters was believed in the 19th and early 20th centuries to be a way of improving the health of people suffering a variety of illnesses. Warm Springs, located 100 miles or so to the north on the slopes of Pine Mountain, was already a popular health resort by the early 1900s. The discovery of radium traces in the water was made by analysts working for Barron G. Collier, a noted developer and national figure of the early 20th century. Collier County in Florida is named in his honor. In 1925 he purchased the springs and began work on a major development there.



Collier's plans for Radium Springs were magnificent and it is was reported at the time that he spent nearly $1,000,000 on the project there. It was an amazing sum for the time. The development included a casino and bathhouses overlooking the spring, a hotel named the Skywater (after the supposed Creek Indian name for the spring), cottages, riding and walking trails and one of the finest golf courses in the South. The resort opened to the public in 1927 and was an instant success. Guests came by train to Albany from across the country to soak in the waters and enjoy the other amenities.



On June 23, 1927, one of the greatest games of golf in the history of Georgia took place on the new course at Radium Springs. Famed amateur and British Open champion Bobby Jones played an exhibition with Australian golfer and "trick shot" artist Joe Kirkwood. Kirkwood beat Bobby Jones in the Radium Springs exhibition, coming in 6 under par while Jones finished five strokes back. The victory inspired Kirkwood to challenge Jones in the 1927 British Open. Jones won the open by 6 strokes, with Kirkwood finishing 4th.



There were dinners, dances, beauty pageants and evening canoe rides. Then the Casino fell on hard times. The Great Depression led to the closure of Radium Springs in 1939. The golf course reopened under lease in 1941 and the entire complex was acquired by a group of local investors in 1944. Over the years it opened and closed several times.



A devastating fire in 1982 and a number of deaths, including divers who got lost in the complex cave system, cast a shadow over Radium Springs. The spring was still a popular swimming place for Albany area residents until 1994 when the casino and other historic structures suffered heavy damage in the Tropical Storm Alberto flooding. A second flood inflicted even more damage in 1998. Sadly, the casino was too severely damaged to save. The property and remains of the spring area of the resort, however, were acquired by state and local governments. The giant Casino was torn down, but its bright white base remained as a foundation for the garden.



Radium Springs Gardens, a beautiful historic site and botanical garden, opened in 2010. The park is located on Radium Springs Road in Albany, Georgia, and is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.



There are gardens, walkways, interpretive panels, spectacular natural beauty and the ruins of the historic resort.



Swimming is no longer allowed.



The park is free to visit.



The gardens are closed on Mondays.



Tempted to add a tangent on Albany but let's recreate the original post before adding too much.



Will add a GNW Gal, Haley Kirkpatrick from Albany.