Spring Hill has a long history. There were only 24 United States when around 1830 a couple of land developers bought "the hill" and sold it off in five acre squares....for $100 per acre.

Lifelong Spring Hill Resident Robert Hunter says mostly summer homes were built on the large tracts. It was one of two places affluent Mobilians spent the hot summers. He laughs, "You either went to the water or went to the hills."

The hills had elevation...higher, drier air. Hunter notes that humidity loving Spanish moss does not survive in his live oaks. Plus, he says, there was water...wonderful drinking water. He points out, "The reason it's called Spring Hill, of course, is because it has all these springs."

One, McGregor Spring, was recorded as producing 8 gallons of water a minute. It was sold in bottles and some Spring Hill water was actually piped through hollowed cedar logs. It is still flowing in the front yard of a residence. The family who bought the property some years ago says they have found a number of water bottles. Some of the bottles say, "McGregor Water Company, Spring Hill, Alabama...Return This Bottle." Years ago McGregor Spring was a picnic destination for families from Mobile who enjoyed the shade and the cold, clear water.

After World War I, Spring Hill evolved from a summer retreat to year 'round residents.

If you stand in the business district, near the intersection of McGregor and Old Shell Road, you're about 6 miles from Mobile's Convention Center...and about 200 feet higher.

The area is scheduled for some major urban renewal. Linda St. John is the Chairman of "The Village of Spring Hill, Inc." She says, "It was started basically to revitalize the commercial areas in Spring Hill."

On the other hand residential areas don't seem to need much revitalizing... those original 5-acre tracts, now mostly subdivided, hold well-kept homes in neighborhoods that range from "working class" to "elegant." And there are still houses which date back to before the Civil War...including Stewartfield on the Spring Hill College Campus at the end of the Avenue of the Oaks.

The total area of the community is about 5 square miles and holds about 5,000 households. And outside of the shopping area, St. John's group has only one suggestion:"We could use some more sidewalks," she laughs, "people are jogging over tree roots and strollering their babies over tree roots, but we're trying to get more sidewalks."