One of the natural springs that provided water to the newly established county seat of Anderson County, Town Springs was a source of drinking water for the earliest settlers and for Native Americans, explorers, and scouts before that. Water was carried daily from the spring to the courthouse, jail, businesses, and residences. Students from the nearby academy would collect watercress from the spring to nibble on during test days. The Town Common was nearby. The city used the springs as a water supply until the mid-20th century, when it began to pull water from the Clinch River.