Chick Springs Gathering
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Taylors Ministry Center
What Took Place
We spent the evening telling the story of Chick Springs from the beginning -- the earliest written references to the spring in 1802, the 60-room resort hotel that Dr. Chick opened in 1840, the fires and floods that took the buildings, and the slow fragmentation that left the property dormant for over 35 years. We also took time to name the 12 enslaved people listed as collateral on an 1857 mortgage for the property, because reckoning honestly with the full history matters.
Stacie Burnett shared her family's deep connection to the area. Her Hawkins and Duncan ancestors have been in Taylors since the 1700s and early 1800s -- deacons at Taylors First Baptist, neighbors who stood up in each other's weddings. Her message was simple: this park is about community, and she wants her grandchildren to be able to have a picnic and play in the creek.
Jason Smit of Arbor Land Design presented the master plan. Using side-by-side comparisons of historic photographs and current site conditions, he showed how the design draws directly from what was there before: recreated ornamental gardens near the spring house, restored footbridges where the original stone abutments still stand, natural walking trails, and interpretive signage throughout. The plan is organized into four phases, starting with the spring house and public access.
What We Launched
The Chick Springs Society is a new annual membership to provide steady, ongoing support for this project. This is going to take years, and we need people who are committed to seeing it through. Every dollar goes into a dedicated Chick Springs escrow account -- nothing gets spent on anything else.
Membership tiers:
Member: $25/year
Supporter: $50/year
Sustainer: $100/year ($10/month available)
Steward: $250/year ($20/month available)
Guardian: $500/year ($45/month available)
Patron: $1,000/year ($85/month available)
If you're in a position to come in at the Steward level or above, that's where the real momentum builds. But every tier matters, and we're grateful for any commitment.
One-time gifts to the Chick Springs Fund are also welcome and go to the same escrow account.
What you can explore right now
We built an interactive timeline at chicksprings.org that tells the full story of the property across 10 eras, with original deed documents, historic photographs, and primary sources from the Greenville County Register of Deeds going back to 1817. Several of you in this room helped us fact-check it. Dig in.
