Castalian Springs, Tennessee

Castalian Springs, Tennessee
Census-designated place
Post office, destroyed by a tornado, in Castalian Springs, Tennessee, 2008
Castalian Springs, Tennessee
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Sumner
Settled	1780s
Named for	The Castalian Spring of ancient Greece
Area
• Total	5.817 sq mi (15.07 km2)
• Land	5.817 sq mi (15.07 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	495 ft (151 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	556
• Density	96/sq mi (37/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	615
GNIS feature ID	1305723

Castalian Springs is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States. It is located along Tennessee State Route 25, about seven miles east of Gallatin. The area has its own United States post office, designated by the Zip code 37031. 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.

In the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak of February 5–6, the tiny village was hit by a strong tornado (at least EF2) 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.

Native American history

During the Mississippian culture 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 the University of Alabama. A number of important finds have been associated with the site, most particularly several examples of Mississippian stone statuary and the "Castalian Springs shell gorget," now held by the National Museum of the American Indian.

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 major general in the American Civil War
• Humphrey Bate, an early Grand Ole Opry string band leader
• William Hall, who served briefly as Governor of Tennessee in 1829.