Oliver Springs was founded in 1821 as Winter's Gap. It was named for its first permanent settler of European descent, Major Moses Winters, who had settled in the area before 1799.
In 1826, Richard Oliver became the town's first postmaster. The town was renamed Oliver's Springs in his honor.
Joseph Richards bought Oliver's land in 1873. He built the first resort hotel, and in 1894 replaced this first structure with a 150-room hotel with then-modern amenities. Oliver Springs became a popular resort town. The Oliver Springs Hotel catered to wealthy guests, who came from all over the U.S. and Europe to drink the waters and bathe in the springs. In 1888, the railroad came to Oliver Springs and brought thousands of visitors to the springs. The hotel burned in 1905. The town decided to cover the springs rather than rebuild the hotel. Evidence of water conduits and reservoirs can still be seen on the site.
In the late 1990s, the movie October Sky was filmed in nearby coal mining areas as well as the city's downtown area. The movie is based on the true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 to take up rocketry against his father's wishes, and who eventually became a NASA engineer.
For more information - visit,
http://www.homerhickam.com/about/bio.shtml
