Marble Springs Historic District

Marble Springs Historic District. . , The Marble Springs Historic District is an irregularly shaped area located in proximity to Old Fort Bayou. Nineteenth and turn-of-the-century residential architecture lines Iberville Drive, a street shaded by live oaks between North Washington and Sunset Avenues. The Marble Springs Historic District is architecturally significant because the varied scale of the dwellings and the lots reflects the rise and decline of one of Ocean Springs' most important attractions: Marble Springs. , Exploited for its mineral waters since the 1850s, Marble Springs was touted for its curative powers and offered the only spa bathing facility in town. As a community social center overlooking the picturesque Old Fort Bayou, Marble Springs became a desirable home site for numerous influential citizens. Large estates, more elaborate in architectural style, line the north side of the street. In contrast, the south side dwellings are smaller, more vernacular, and more dense in lot size. The mineral springs at Marble Springs ceased to flow when the ground water level lowered as a . result of excessive well drilling. , Information from Ocean Springs Historic District Design Guidelines , This informational sign is part of a community project led by the Historic Ocean Springs Association, and is made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area. , We thank the City of Ocean Springs for their support of this project.