Ravenden Springs

A twelve-foot-high statue of a raven stands in the Lawrence County town of Ravenden, which is seven miles south of the former resort town of Ravenden Springs, in Randolph County. In 1880, Methodist pastor William Bailey dreamed that the cure for his longtime stomach ailment was to be found in the waters of the springs. Following his dream, he traveled to the springs and drank from the waters, and was cured. News of this event led to the discovery of five springs, one each for the healing of stomach, eye, arthritis, kidneys, and heart disease. A settlement quickly grew up there, first called Dream Town, but later renamed to incorporate reference to the springs. Local history says that there were ravens nesting “in a hole in a canyon wall” but in fact by this time the storied nest and colony had been gone for at least twenty years. Nevertheless, the name stuck and the raven still guards the area.