A Murder at Whitepath: The Remnants of the Past

A little more than two years before the murder/suicide of R.W. Randell and his wife, he tried selling his property in Whitepath as an investment opportunity. In late summer of 1947, Redden ran an ad in the Atlanta Journal. It read as follows:

RESORT FOR SALE OR LEASE

ALL OF WHITE BATH SPRINGS, GA., property, as a whole, now for sale or long-term lease for development of this once famous, popular summer resort located in heart of Blue Ridge mountains, Gilmer County, Ga., between Ellijay and Blue Ridge, on Atlanta to Knoxville modern highway and RR, one day’s drive from South Florida.

About 470 acres, altitude about 2 to 3 thousand ft. with noted abundance flowing spring waters, freestone, iron-sulphur and magnesia for medicinal use; water system gravitation pressure now installed sufficient for many houses; no pumping or purifying needed; well timbered with large long leaf and other pine, oak, poplar and others sufficient to build a sizable city; 2 modern bldgs., 21 rooms, 12 lavatories, 3 baths and other housing and RR warehouse.

Architect and engineering proposed plans prepared for lake, hotel, cottages, swimming pool, shuffle boards, tennis courts, other amusements and to beautify the three main springs. Ideal grounds for above and also girls’ and boys’ camps and sanitarium similar to Battle Creek.

Owner, R. W. Randell (now at White Bath Sprs. until Sept. 15th, address Ellijay, Ga., and thence at Ft. Myers, Fla.), planned to develop alone but finds it too big for one man, so he invites syndicating with others or total sale or long-term lease, also the attention of promoting real estate agencies.

Curiously, somehow White Bath made it into the paper.

The description of the types of springs found on the property fit those of the scientific analysis done by the State Geologist in 1913. The building that would be used for the sanitarium was the boarding house built by Redden.

The four springs of the Whitepath Property

Of particular interest is water system gravitation pressure system. On the opposite side of the road, hidden in the woods, is the remnants of part of that system. A concrete cistern rises more than ten feet above the ground with pipes that go into the earth. There's a nearby concrete indention that resembles part of a spring house nearby.

The cistern was built in 1927, around the time of the old arch

A pipe near the cistern comes out near a spring.

This concrete structure located several yards from the cistern resembles other spring house pieces I've found in North Georgia.

Of course, none of this came to fruition. After the murder/suicide of 1950, the plans were scrapped for the sale of the property. At some point in the 1960s the boarding house was destroyed by a fire. Later the stucco arch, built around 1930, began to collapse.

The mostly collapsed arch seen up close.

The boarding house as seen from a 1966 aerial. It burned shortly after this.

The property was passed down through generations of the Randell family. The current owners and relatives of Redden W. Randell have lived at the site since the year 2000 and have raised a wonderful, loving family. They are kind and good hearted people. Today they own about a third of the original property. Over the last twenty plus years, they unearthed different artifacts and pieces of plates and other objects from the hotel to fashion them into a sign that reads 'The Old Whitepath Hotel'

Each part of each letter of 'The Old Whitepath Hotel' is made from different artifacts found on site.

A close up of the 'O' in the sign reveals two pieces of pottery with markings

This is the mark from the piece of English pottery seen on the right side of the 'O'

This piece belonged to a company that existed between 1887 and 1924. The entirety of this time fell within the operational years of the first hotel.

This piece came from Trenton, NJ

The Etruria/Mellor & Co. mark was made circa 1900, no earlier than 1894. These years also fell within the time the original hotel was in operation.