Photo: Brian Stansberry (photographer) · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
History · Patterson Springs
Patterson Springs’ post office opened in 1892
Most of Patterson Springs was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1980.
Photo: Brian Stansberry (photographer) · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers
How Patterson Springs began
When was Patterson Springs founded?
1892
The Patterson Springs post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Swangstown (1831) and Swangs (1880), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 731 in 19802020 census: 571134 years
Founding year: the first Patterson Springs post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Patterson Springs’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Patterson Springs was originally a small farming community called "Swangs", with only a train depot and a post office. William George Patterson bought the land that held three springs from the "Epps" family. Patterson hoped that the supposed healing powers of these springs would help heal his son, Billy, who had poor health. Eventually, news of the supposed healing powers of these springs spread, and Patterson created a thirty to forty room resort to house travelers and merchants. The resort, which was one of several in the area, mainly attracted people from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. When the attendees of the resort were not at the springs, Patterson offered lawn bowling and a dance every Saturday night. In 1885, the name "Swangs confused the railroad people so they convinced the post office to change it to Patterson Springs and the government officials agreed. In 19…
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Patterson Springs. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1909Gaffney sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Patterson Springs.
People over time
Patterson Springs, census by census
Between 571 and 731 people in every census since 1980.
5 censuses, 1980–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Patterson Springs’ Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Patterson Springs
Nobody well known was born in Patterson Springs itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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