The once thriving town of Rocky Springs is now a ghost town
The town of Rocky Springs was founded in the late 1790s and was named for a “rocky” spring that provided water to the community. By 1860 the population was around 2,600, with roughly 2,000 of the residents being slaves. It wasn’t long after this high point in the town’s history that bad luck would strike time and time again.
The Civil War emptied Rocky Springs of able-bodied men (many who never came back), Union troops occupied the town and destroyed homes and farms, an 1878 yellow fever epidemic killed 43 residents, and poor soil management brought about the inevitable decline in crop production. However, the final blow was the boll weevil invasion that destroyed the cotton crops in the early 1900s. This sent residents fleeing in rapid numbers, and by the early 1930s the last store had closed. Today, the only remnants of the town are the Rocky Springs Methodist Church, a few cisterns, and three safes, which were apparently too heavy to carry so they were left in place.
Visitors to Rocky Springs can walk around the former town site on a short trail. To get there, when you exit off of the Natchez Trace Parkway for Rocky Springs, take the road all the way through the park until it ends at a parking lot. A trail lined by a wooden fence leads to the town site. Information panels that tell the story of Rocky Springs are located along the way.
Trail that leads from the parking lot to the Rocky Springs town site
The Rocky Springs Methodist Church will be on your right at the top of a hill. The church is on private property and is not part of the Natchez Trace Parkway, but visitors are welcome as long as they don’t tear the place up.
Rocky Springs Methodist Church as seen from the town site trail
The Rocky Springs ghost town is on the left side of the main trail, across from the church. A foot bridge over a gully leads to a short loop trail that weaves through the area. The trail route is a little confusing, but it covers a small area so don’t try to make heads or tails of it—just start walking around and you’ll eventually find your way back to the main trail.
Trail through the Rocky Springs town site
There are no buildings or foundations remaining, just two old safes and two cisterns. There were actually three safes left behind by former residents, but one is located in the small Rocky Springs Visitor Center building that you passed as soon as you turned off of the Natchez Trace Parkway.
Trail passes two old safes and two cisterns
Safe left behind at the abandoned Rocky Springs
Safe left behind at the abandoned Rocky Springs
One of two cisterns that can be found at Rocky Springs
The trail at the town site is slightly hilly, but I would still consider it to be an easy hike. You can thoroughly explore the area in about 30 minutes while walking about a half mile.
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Last updated on December 10, 2021
