I thought you might find this of interest. My connection is through the Feild family (John Shaw Feild, II, MD):
Buffalo Lithia Springs by Gerald Tate Gilliam, The Southsider, Vol. VII, No. 2, Spring, 1988, pp. 32 et seq.]
A short distance west of Clarksville stood the famous Buffalo Springs resort. The medicinal value of the water was known throughout America and Europe. Before the Civil War customers were drawn primarily from Virginia and North Carolina. Buffalo Springs was not in the same league as the more established springs in the Virginia mountains. When the property was purchased by Thomas F. Goode in 1874, the resort rose in fame and popularity due to Goode's business acumen and salesmanship.
The first record of springs near Buffalo Creek predated permanent settlers. The Occoneechee Indians resided on an island between the Staunton and Dan Rivers long before European settlers came into the region. Certainly they knew of the water and sensed its curative powers. William Byrd II of Westover passed through the area while drawing a dividing line between Virginia and North Carolina. He wrote in his diary that the group camped near Buffalo Creek on October 7, 1727. He noted that the water they drank that night was "what Adam drank in Paradise . . ." and claimed it mended their appetites, sweetened their sleep, cooled and calmed their blood, and "if ever we dreamt of women, they were kind." [Susan L. Bracey, Life by the Roaring Roanoke, Mecklenburg County Bicentennial Commission (1977), p. 312.] Byrd's claims were the dreams of every advertising agency.
John Speed was the first owner of Buffalo Springs to develop the property into a commercial enterprise. He purchased the springs from Ambrose Gregory in 1811 and six years later licensed an ordinary. He managed the resort for several years and leased it to David Shelton from 1824 to 1828. When Speed sold out in 1839, the facility could accommodate from fifty to seventy-five guests. [Ibid.] The structures around the spring were worth $5,000. [Mecklenburg Land Tax Records, 1838A, p. 30.]
The new owners were determined to improve the facilities around the springs. John S. Feild and Alexander S. Jones took control in March of 1839 and immediately began their renovation. A new dining hall and new cabins were erected. The old buildings were repaired and improved. For the summer season in 1839 the owners claimed that the food and liquor were excellent and one of the finest bands had been employed. [Bracey, op. cit., p. 313.]
Two years later the establishment was under new managers. Shelton and Kennon, probably David Shelton and Erasmus Kennon, paid taxes on the parcel but did not have a recorded deed. During their four year tenancy, new buildings worth $2,000 were constructured on the site. [Mecklenburg Tax Records, 1841-44.]
After a long association with the resort as manager, David Shelton was able to purchase an interest in the property. In 1845 Shelton bought a three-fifths share from John Feild. Shelton remained as manager and worked with Alexander Jones, owner of the remaining share. Shelton gained complete control when, in 1849, Jones sold his undivided interest in the operation. [Bracey, op. cit. p. 313.]