South Carolina’s history runs deep and it runs wide — for the young country that America is. Over in Marlboro County, there’s an ancient spring that still runs and it has a fascinating history.

Back in 1781, during the American Revolution, a patriot named James Spears was running toward home with the British in pursuit.
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As luck would have it, his shoe came off when he ran through a puddle of sorts. The shoe got stuck in the mud. Spears kept on running.
But a shoe is a shoe so he returned later to the spot where the shoe came off.
Waymarking/NCDaywalker
When he pulled it out of the mud, he noticed a large amount of water that filled the impression where the shoe had been.
For whatever reason, Spears decided to taste the water.
Waymarking/NCDaywalker
And that's when the spring was officially discovered!

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Folks drive from all over to see the famous spring discovered during the Revolutionary War.
Google/Dell Blackhorse
Sometimes it runs at full steam; other times only a trickle.
But the story that accompanies the discovery of Blenheim Mineral Spring isn't the only thing that makes this spring so special.
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Late in the 1890s a local doctor named Charles May started prescribing water from the spring to patients suffering from stomach issues or miasma (a now defunct diagnosis that, at the time, was thought to lead to Black Death). Some patients complained about the flavor of the mineral water.
So Dr. May added Jamaican ginger and sugar water and created a mixture now known and bottled as Blenheim Ginger Ale.
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Not only is Blenheim Mineral Spring famous for its Revolutionary War discovery, it's also the birthplace of Blenheim Ginger Ale!
See the springs. Bring empty bottles. Take some water home.
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As long as the spring has a flow, folks in South Carolina (and from all parts of the southeast) will be drinking the healing water from Blenheim Mineral Spring.

Have you ever been here? What a field trip for the kids or grand kids! Blenheim Ginger Ale is bottled only 30 minutes away in Hamer, South Carolina. Schedule a factory tour, see how it’s made, and then purchase a bottle or a case right from the factory!

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Featured Addresses
Blenhiem Mineral Spring, Blenheim, SC 29516, USA