Virginia Springs - Summer Arrangement, Broadside, 1855

Western Virginia's mineral-spring resorts were extremely popular in the 19th century. Travelers from throughout the United States, especially from the southern region, visited the resorts. There people would drink or bathe in the spring water, which many considered a way to restore health. They also enjoyed the bucolic rural landscapes and what they believed was restorative mountain air. On their way to the springs, travelers also sought the picturesque beauty of the state's natural wonders like the Peaks of Otter and Natural Bridge.

The expansion of the railroad network during the 1850s made the long trip to western Virginia's resorts far easier. Broadside advertisements urged urban dwellers from Richmond, Petersburg, and other cities to escape the humid, unhealthy summers by traveling the railroads to visit mountain resorts. Travelers could complete their journey in one day (getting "through by day-light") instead of one that had formerly taken several days over bumpy, dusty mountain roads. In 1855, Virginians visiting the springs could travel on the state's newest railroad, the Virginia and Tennessee. The route linked several other rail lines and accelerated the population growth and economic development of much of southwestern Virginia and eastern Tennessee.

Broadsides, often overside printed sheets of paper, typically contained proclamations, announcements, or advertisements, and were publicly posted or distributed door to door.

Citation: Virginia Springs, Richmond & Danville, South-side and Virginia and Tennessee Railroads: summer arrangement. Richmond: Dispatch Steam Presses, 1855. Broadside 1855 .V8 FH, Manuscripts & Special Collections, Library of Virginia.