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Two bottles to go
Carson Lester of Beaufort and his dad, Brian, fill bottles of water from one of the 12 spigots at God’s Acre Healing Springs. The cold, clear, tasteless water is said to have healing powers.
Photo by Andrew Haworth
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A clean bill of health
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control last tested the Healing Springs water in 2010 and found that it met public drinking-water standards. Other tests have found very low mineralization in the water but no scientific explanation for the reputed healing power, says trustee Thomas Terry.
“It’s just pure water, that’s all,” he says. “However, the name ‘Healing Springs’ has attracted a lot of people, and they contend that it is healing for them.”
Photo by Andrew Haworth
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The legend begins
People have been coming to the Healing Springs near Blackville since the American Revolution, when, according to the official history, gravely wounded Loyalist soldiers drank the water and made a full recovery. God’s Acre was added to the name after the property surrounding the springs was officially granted to God in 1944 by the owner at the time, L.P. Boylston. “I should return to Him the most treasured piece of this earth that I have ever owned ... for the diseased or afflicted to use the precious healing water that flows from this God-given source,” Boylston wrote in the deed.
Photo by Andrew Haworth
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More than water
Brenda Henzler of Pelion has her photo taken by her friend Carla Isenhoward at God's Acre Healing Springs. Henzler was visiting the springs seeking peace after the recent deaths of two family members.
Photo by Andrew Haworth
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Stocking up
God’s Acre Healing Springs attracts visitors from across the nation, including Derricee Newton of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Many fill up carloads of jugs when they arrive. “It’s free. Just help yourself,” says trustee Thomas Terry, who asks only that visitors avoid littering. “We would like for you to take care of the property and not leave any trash.”
Photo by Andrew Haworth
As roadside attractions go, God’s Acre Healing Springs may not be the biggest or the most exciting in the state, but don’t bother telling that to the thousands of people who visit every year, empty jugs in hand.
Located north of Blackville, the one-acre plot of land is primarily a parking lot and a few picnic tables overlooking a small, wooded stream, but the cold, clear water flowing freely from the ground and 12 spigots is the real reason to visit—and has been since the 1700s.
The water is said to have healing powers, a secret known only by Native American tribes until the Revolutionary War, when Indians came across four severely wounded Charleston Tories. According to local legend, the soldiers were left for dead, but the Indians brought them to the springs to recover. Six months later, the troops returned to their post, strong and healthy.
“They drank the water, and they got well,” says Thomas Terry, one of three trustees who oversee the property in partnership with Barnwell County. “The name Healing Springs kind of stuck.”
Today, the springs are still a destination for curiosity seekers and those in search of the reputed healing powers. Access to the water is free and open to all, thanks to a unique ownership arrangement. The property was officially granted to God in 1944 by the owner at the time, L.P. Boylston, who wrote in the deed, “I should return to Him the most treasured piece of this earth that I have ever owned ... for the diseased or afflicted to use the precious healing water that flows from this God-given source.”
Joe Newberry, a regular visitor, drove two hours from his home in Bluffton one recent Saturday morning with a pickup full of empty jugs to fill. He and his mother are faithful Healing Springs water drinkers, he says.
“She’s really into it,” Newberry says with a laugh. “Last time she was here, she filled 93 jugs. She only let me have 10.”
Most visitors fill up and go, but some linger and exchange stories—about that time a busload of New Yorkers showed up for a twice-yearly visit to God’s Acre, about this friend or that friend who was cured of some ailment by drinking the spring water. Others make a day of it with a picnic and a stop at the country store on the corner, which sells empty plastic jugs and lids for visitors who want to bottle an extra gallon or two.
Jimmy Gathers, another springs regular, says he drinks the water every day. He also claims to know friends who found relief from arthritis pain by drinking the water. And, even if it doesn’t have healing properties, he says, it still tastes better than tap water.
“I believe all the way it will heal you,” he says. “But you’ve got to have faith, too.”
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Get There
God’s Acre Healing Springs is located at the end of Springs Court in Blackville, next to Healing Springs Baptist Church. From downtown Blackville, go north on S.C. Highway 3 (Solomon Blatt Avenue) for three miles, then turn right onto Healing Springs Road. Turn right onto Springs Court.
HOURS: Open year-round
ADMISSION: “It’s free. Just help yourself,” says trustee Thomas Terry, who asks only that visitors avoid littering. “We would like for you to take care of the property and not leave any trash.”