Royal Spring Park

Description

Royal Spring Park is the site of a large spring in Georgetown, Kentucky that since the earliest settlements in the area has provided water for the area. In addition to the spring, the park has a log cabin built by a former slave, Milton Leach. The park was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on April 2, 1973.HistoryRoyal SpringRoyal Spring is a large spring in Georgetown, Kentucky that has been a main source of water since the first settlements in the area. In 1889, the Georgetown Water Works Company was incorporated, and distributed the spring water until the City of Georgetown purchased that company and established the Municipal Water Works Plant in 1945. Currently, more than 13,000 customers of Georgetown Municipal Water and Sewer Service rely on water from the spring as their primary water supply.Early settlementsIn 1774 John Floyd of Fincastle County, Virginia led a surveying party into Kentucky to locate land to be used as "compensation for soldier in the French and Indian War". On July 7, 1774, Floyd found the spring and he received it and 1000acre of land as payment for his surveying work. This spring's earliest know name was "Mr. Floyd's Spring". In October 1775, Floyd transferred ownership of the spring to John McClelland (1745–1776), from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, after McClelland surveyed and built a cabin on the land earlier in the year. In 1776 McClelland's Fort, an army outpost was built on a nearby cliff to have close proximity to t