Radium Springs in Dougherty County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Radium Springs Resort
A Sparkling Swimming Hole
Photographed by James L.Whitman, September 10, 2022
1. Radium Spring Resort A Sparkling Swimming Hole Marker
Set atop terraced stone walls rising from the pool, the colonial-style Casino building boasted an elegant dining room and a cavernous dance hall. Guests enjoyed lavish meals, dancing, moonlit canoe rides, and swimming in the sparkling water.
Underwater lights revealed eels, fish, and turtles, too. Daytime activities also included golf, horseback riding, hunting, and tennis.
Radioactivity Revealed
American Indians called the spring "Skywater." White settlers called it "Blue Springs." Lab tests in the 1920s found traces of naturally occurring radium in the water, and the name changed to "Radium Springs."
Year-Round Retreat Winter, spring, summer, or fall, the Radium Springs swimming hole stays at 68°F. Just 4 miles from Albany, Georgia, the resort hosted golf tournaments, galas, and beauty pageants
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The pool and was enlarged and banked with rocks removed from the spring. Concrete walkway, complete with cement railing, surrounded a semicircular portion of the pool area. Steps leading to a lower concrete walkway and to the water were placed in four different areas.
Bobby Jones was one of many famous golfers to enjoy the curse at Radian Springs.
The Casino Closes A fire in 1982 and floods in 1994 and 1998 damaged the Casino building beyond repair. The remaining structure was removed in 2003. Radium Springs is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. Today the grounds around the spring have been reborn as a botanical garden.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.
Location. 31° 31.572′ N, 84° 8.166′ W. Marker is in Radium Springs, Georgia, in Dougherty County. It can be reached from the intersection of Radium Springs Road and Holly Drive, on the right when traveling
Photographed by James L.Whitman, September 10, 2022
2. Radium Spring Resort A Sparkling Swimming Hole Marker
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Albany Strong (within shouting distance of this marker); Flint River Flood (approx. 3.1 miles away); Georgia Civil Rights Trail: The Albany Movement (approx. 3.4 miles away); Flood of July 7, 1994 (approx. 3.4 miles away); Vietnam War Memorial (approx. 3.4 miles away); Spec 4 James Earl Worthy (approx. 3.4 miles away); WW II Memorial (approx. 3½ miles away); Korean War Memorial (approx. 3½ miles away).
Also see . . . Radium Springs Gardens. (Submitted on September 13, 2022.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 13, 2022, by James L.Whitman of Eufaula, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,498 times since then and 157 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 13, 2022, by James L.Whitman of Eufaula, Alabama. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
