Castalian Springs is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Sumner County,

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, United States.

History

In the early 19th century, it was known locally as Bledsoe's Lick, and was the location of Bledsoe's Station, a fortified trading post. As of the 2010 census, its population was 556.

Native American history

During the

Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a collection of Native American societies that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building la ...

period of prehistory, the Castalian Springs Mound Site was a major local earthwork mound center, built and occupied from about 950 into the 14th century. The Native Americans who built and occupied the complex site preceded the historic tribes later known to European-American settlers in the area. This was one of the sites constructed throughout the Mississippi Valley and its tributaries, connecting regions from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. The site was first excavated in the 1890s. It was excavated professionally in the 2005 to 2010 archaeological field school led by Dr. Kevin E. Smith from Middle Tennessee State University. A number of important finds have been associated with the site, most particularly several examples of

Mississippian stone statuary The Mississippian stone statuary are Artifact (archaeology), artifacts of polished stone in the shape of human figurines made by members of the Mississippian culture (800 to 1600 CE) and found in archaeological sites in the American Midwest and ...

and the "Castalian Springs shell gorget," now held by the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

2008 Super Tuesday tornado

In the

2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak The 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak which affected the Southern United States and the lower Ohio Valley on February 5 and 6, 2008. The event began on Super Tuesday, 2008, Super Tuesday, while 24 states in t ...

of February 5–6, the tiny village was hit by a strong tornado (an EF3) that claimed seven lives. The historic structure Wynnewood was heavily damaged by the storm and the United States post office was destroyed. Castalian Springs captured national news headlines when an 11-month-old boy, Kyson Stowell, was found alive in the debris of his house. Originally thought to be a children's doll, the boy moved just slightly and rescuer, David Harmon, noticed the movement. He had been blown 150 yards from the house. Kyson's mother had shielded him but died in the storm.Baby a Sign of Hope in Devastated South
/ref>

Demographics

Geography

Castalian Springs is located along Tennessee State Route 25, about of Gallatin.

Post office

The area has its own United States post office, designated by the ZIP code 37031.

Notable sites

* Wynnwood State Historic Site – historic inn located in Castalian Springs. * Bledsoe's Fort Historical Park – public park that protects the site of the 18th-century Bledsoe's Station and several other historic structures * Cragfont State Historic Site – A historic home and the former home of James Winchester

Notable natives and residents

* William B. Bate, a governor of Tennessee, U.S. Senator, and

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

major general in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

* Humphrey Bate, an early

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

string band leader * Edward W. Carmack, a U.S. Senator for Tennessee and an early editor of ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...

''. * William Hall, who served briefly as

Governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Tennessee Military Department, military forces. The governor is the only official in the Government of Tenne ...

in 1829. * John W. Head, Tennessee Attorney General and state senator

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Tennessee Census-designated places in Sumner County, Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Sumner County, Tennessee