White Springs
Liberty County
Summary of Features
- Scale -2nd magnitude (estimated)
- Scale - 3rd magnitude
- Scenery - poor
- How Pristine? - manmade pool, recreation area, docks, etc.
- Swimming - good
- Protection - fair to poor
- Crowds - none
- Accss - closed to public
- Facilities - closed
- Safety - closed
- Scuba - no
Directions
The spring swim area is located about four miles east of Bristol off State Road 20. Turn south on the first paved road east of Telogia Creek,and spring is about 0.2 miles on the right (west).
Spring Description
According to Rosenau et al. (1977, p. 252-3) and a person working at the site who spoke with JF in 2000, the spring is a series of seeps in a dammed-up area of White Branch, which flows into Telogia Creek. The swim area apparently contains some seeps, and there are others in another pool enclosed by a second earthen dam upstream. No flow is visible except at the outlet of the swim area/earthen dam. The water in the main pool (which is about 500 feet by 250 feet) is created by an earthen dam and is clear and cool. From the dock, the water appeared to be about 6 feet deep. Below the dam, White Branch flows into Telogia Creek. Land rises up around the pool to a height of about 25 feet, and there is substantial erosion into the pool.
Use/Access
The site was formerly a privately owned swim and recreation area, with a dive board, slide, convenience store, and the remnant of an open-air, wooden roller rink. It was very rustic, but is now closed to the public. Some of the buildings were still visible in Spetember 2004, but their condition and use are unknown.
The site was sold or leased to the Panther Creek Bottling Plant, which pumps water from the pool or a nearby well and trucks it away. When the pool closed, there was a sign that JF saw at the site in April 2001 that said the following:
Thank you for 52 years!
Owner is retiring
Personal Impressions
For decades, the site was a classic (albeit not classy) country hang-out, and outsiders were subject to not-altogether-friendly looks. When JF visited the spring in 1996 and 1998, he felt he had stepped back in time at least 40 years. Everything about the place was ramshackle. JF was not allowed to look upstream of the main pool, and was told most of the spring flow was from the upstream pool. Exploring the lower end of the site, he saw some vividly bright colors just below the dam. Thinking they were kayaks, he walked over to discover to his horror that the colors were from huge piles of garbage strewn in the creek.