Alexander "Sandy" Misenheimer was the owner of the "FAMOUS MISENHEIMER SPRINGS RESORT!" After the Civil War was over "Sandy" Misenheimer the owner of the Misenheimer Grist Mill business had the idea to create Resort, and turn his home into a Hotel that both Sandy and his wife Julia operated together. Basically, they were outgoing in the community both near and far in order to promote the "Spring Water" that might have healing properties. This was a mineral springs that produced the flowing water, so that is the reason for the interest by the public. The origin of the spring flowed in the middle of the road that lead to the Grist Mill business, and it did not matter how hot the weather was there was always a wet spot in the road. This resulted in rerouting the road, and digging a spring well for drinking water. Overtime people started to come there just to drink the spring water, because word of month was broadcasting the 'healing qualities" of the spring water. Sandy and Julia began to rent rooms out in their home, and then expanded into building log cabins on the surrounding land near the "Misenheimer Springs" as the locals now were calling it. As more an more people were traveling there to the "Misenheimer Springs" it was becoming more and more "Famous" and popular too! The more the Hotel and Log Cabins expanded the capacity for more people to come and stay is the reason why the addition of the word "Resort" to change the name to the "Misenheimer Springs Resort." There was a transition period from 1865 to 1870 when they realized that there future was in the direction of becoming the new "Misenheimer Springs Resort," and the national acclaim and resulting word "Famous" came in the 1890's when the railroad tracks were built between the two towns of Albemarle, N.C. and Salisbury, N.C. Now the rich and famous people at a distance would travel by train to come to the "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort," and the train station was at the time in the village called Gladstone. However, the passangers on the train coming from Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina would miss the stop at Gladstone not realizing that this was the stop they needed to get off at, and would remain on the train until reaching Albemarle, Stanly County, North Carolina. Then these passengers would have to return to Gladstone to get off the train, because this was the closest train stop to go into the countryside near Richfield, North Carolina to visit the "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort." Once the Train Attendant's realized that over half their passengers were going to visit the "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort" they became to cry out "All Off For Misenheimer Springs!" Once that began to happen the local people in the community of Gladstone suddenly realized that the name Gladstone was not serving any purpose to identy there geographic location, so they petitioned to request an name change of the Post Office and Train Station to "Misenheimer Springs." They were successful in acheiving the name change of the community to "Misenheimer Springs." The "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort" continued its operations with trips to the train station by horse and a fancy buggy with a roof to pick up guest coming by train, and almost half the passengers getting off the train in the community of "Misenheimer Springs." Even after the death of Miss Julia's husband Sandy in 1888 she continued to run the operations of the "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort," and she even remarried a Mr. Moose. Together Miss Julia and Mr. Moose ran the "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort," and at some point even began to bottle the "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort" water to ship it to distances beyond the local area for consumption. There are still a few bottles of "Misenheimer Springs Water" in the hands of collectors, but they are rare now. If you know where a bottle can be found with the label of "Misenheimer Springs Water" then please let me know, because I would love to buy it? The length of time that the "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort" was in operations was from the late 1860's until around 1918 or 1919 at the end of World War I, and the major reason for that are that Miss Julia passed away in 1914 plus the Model T Ford changed the mode of transportation from trains to cars. The last reason is most likely the biggest factor, and that new owners might not have wanted to continue running a "Resort" at "Misenheimer Springs ." Likewise, for the community of "Misenheimer Springs" it went through another identity crisis, because without the operations of the "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort" and no more massive passengers disenbarking other than an occational single passanger then the word "Springs" seemed obsolete. The community of "Misenheimer" was changing along about this same time period, because a school called Mitchell School relocated there. As they say "A Mighty Oak Tree" starts from a small acorn, and that cycle is repeated over time. I think this is true in the human experience as well, because from "a small wet spot in the road" at the Misenheimer Grist Mill developed the "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort." From the "Famous Misenheimer Springs Resort" came the community or today the "Village of Misenheimer," and from the small one room schoolhouse called the Mitchell School transformed into the mighty Pfeiffer Univesity. Today the Village of Misenheimer is home to Pfeiffer University, and both started from small begins. In the case of the Village of Misenheimer it must be said that the one man who is the origin was Alexander "Sandy" Misenheimer, so it is important to give credit to the source of the surname Misenheimer which is the true fountain of the water from which all this history did spring up from too!