Bear Spring, Tennessee

Bear Spring
Unincorporated community
Bear Spring Show map of Tennessee Bear Spring Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 36°28′31″N 87°45′17″W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Stewart
Elevation	404 ft (123 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	931
GNIS feature ID	1305021[1]

Bear Spring is an unincorporated community in Stewart County, Tennessee, in the United States.^[1]

History

In 1830, the Bear Spring Iron Furnace was constructed, serving as the first charcoal cold-blast furnace in the area. At its peak work rate in 1850, the furnace could produce over 2000 tons of metal. The furnace closed down in 1854 and was destroyed by Union Troops in 1864. It was reconstructed at its current location in 1873, where it has remained ever since.^[2][3]

A post office called Bear Spring was established in 1893, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1948.^[4] According to local history, the community was so named when a pioneer settler shot a bear in a nearby spring.^[5]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bear Spring, Tennessee
2. "Bear Spring Furnace". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
3. "Bear Spring Iron Furnace | Tennessee River Valley". tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
4. "Stewart County". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
5. Miller, Larry L. (2001). Tennessee Place-names. Indiana University Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-253-21478-5.