Editing Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee (section)

===The mineral springs and daily life in the resort period===
[[File:Donoho-mineral-well-pump-tn1.jpg|right|thumb|165px|Mineral springs pump]]

Almost uniquely, five different types of mineral waters are found at Red Boiling Springs.<ref name=NPS>{{NRHP url|id=64000801|title=National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Early Twentieth Century Resort Buildings of Red Boiling Springs}}, 1986 {{cite web |url=http://focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/64000801.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=July 19, 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310132140/http://focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/64000801.pdf |archivedate=March 10, 2016 }}</ref>  These springs are "mineralized" by their contact with exposed black [[shale]], from which iron sulfate is dissolved into the waters.<ref name="Denning, thesis, pp. 23-24">Denning, thesis, pp. 23-24.</ref>  Some were named for the color they would turn a silver coin; two, dubbed "Red" and "Black", were from springs which were capped off and then piped throughout the town to a series of wells with manually operated pumps on both public and private property. Along with iron and sulphur, Red and Black waters both contained relatively high amounts of [[calcium]] and [[magnesium]].<ref>Denning, thesis, pp. 22-23.</ref>  The flavor of the "Red" water was only somewhat sulfurous and seemed to be at least slightly agreeable to many; the "Black" was very-strongly flavored, off-putting to the novice, and an acquired taste (at best) for most. "White" was used only to cure dyspepsia. "Freestone" water contained none of the trace minerals that brought the crowds to the springs but it was by far the most palatable. The most mineralized water, known as "Double and Twist," was named for the effect it had on the person drinking it. "Double and Twist" was advertised as the "only water of its kind in the United States."<ref>Bellar, Jim: "Red Boiling Springs The Tradition Lives. Macon County Times Publishing Company, 1981</ref>

[[File:Counts-hotel-armour-tn1.jpg|left|thumb|210px|[[Counts Hotel|Armour's Hotel]], formerly the Counts Hotel]]

"Taking the waters" at Red Boiling Springs generally consisted of more than merely ingesting them; steam and tub baths featuring the waters and their alleged therapeutic properties were often featured. The bathhouses followed the [[hydrotherapy]] regimen developed by [[John Harvey Kellogg]] at his [[Battle Creek Sanitarium]] in Michigan, which was very popular at the time.<ref>Denning, thesis, pp. 34-35.</ref>  The various waters contained several minerals but [[sulfur]] was predominant, giving the waters the scent (and some would say, the flavor) of rotten [[egg (food)|eggs]]. There were medical doctors on hand to prescribe which treatments would work for a particular ailment. The mineral waters, either from ingesting them or bathing in them, were touted as cures for diseases such as [[dyspepsia]], [[edema|hydropsy]], [[diabetes]], [[rheumatism]], [[neuralgia]], [[kidney stones]], [[gonorrhea]], and various eye and skin diseases.<ref name="Denning, thesis, pp. 23-24"/>  An advertising brochure claimed "sickness among the year 'round residents is practically an unknown thing."<ref>"Red Boiling Springs" promotional booklet, 1924.</ref>  
 
As the resort grew, it became the stopping point for [[minstrel show]]s, circuses and other entertainments to a far greater degree than typical for towns of its small size. The town boasted a number of "diversions": bowling alleys, tennis courts, shuffle board, croquet, a ballroom, swimming pools, a small golf course, theatre, and an amusement park. The hotels also provided picnics and barbecues. Dancing was the most popular nighttime activity, and many of the hotels had their own orchestras for nightly ballroom dances. [[String band (American music)|String band]]s also frequented the town, playing mostly at the many taverns scattered around the town's periphery.<ref>Denning, thesis, p. 36.</ref>