In the 1850s, Robert W. Greenwell purchased land in the area of what is now known as Greenwell Springs, and began developing the area into a rural resort that was built around 10 medicinal springs. Despite the springs being in proximity to each other, each spring was said to have very different and distinct mineral properties from the others. This is thought to have indicated the springs each came from different levels beneath the ground.
The resort area became known as the Greenwell Springs Hotel, and was used during the Civil War as a headquarters and staging area by Confederate General John Breckinridge. Prior to the Battle of Baton Rouge in April 1862, Breckinridge's forces marched west to attack Union forces that had occupied the city. After the battle, Confederate forces retreated back to the Greenwell Springs Hotel and used it as a hospital for wounded troops. Both Union and Confederate troops were buried on the grounds of the hotel in unmarked graves. During the war, Robert W. Greenwell joined the Confederate Army, and served as a captain. He was the commander of the East Baton Rouge Guards, which was then Company F, 3rd Louisiana Cavalry, during the Battle of Port Hudson.
After the war, most of the resort village known as Greenwell Springs, as well as the Greenwell Springs Hotel, was torn down. The lumber from these buildings was used to help rebuild structures in Baton Rouge that had been damaged or destroyed during the war. In 1910, a new Greenwell Springs Hotel was built on the site of the old hotel. A new springhouse was built at the same time as the new hotel. A short time after construction was completed, the springs stopped flowing. The loss of the springs was believed to be because the mouths of the springs were opened too wide which resulted in a loss of water pressure. With the absence of the springs, the new hotel soon lost appeal and was closed down. In 1920, the Greenwell Springs Hotel burned down. The State of Louisiana later bought the property to use as a tuberculosis hospital and eventually as a mental hospital known as Greenwell Springs Hospital. It was during this time that the springs began to flow again.
In April 2005, the unincorporated community of Greenwell Springs became part of the territory of the newly incorporated city known as Central.[4]
The Central Fire Protection District #4 operates fire stations and provides fire-protection services.[3] Central Fire Station #33 is located within Greenwell Springs.[5]
The community is currently served by the Central Community School System,[8] including Bellingrath Hills Elementary School (PreK-Kindergarten), Tanglewood Elementary School (grades 1-2), Central Intermediate School (grades 3-5), Central Middle School (grades 6-8), and Central High School (9-12). Bellingrath Hills is within Greenwell Springs.[9]
A private Catholic K-8 school, St. Alphonsus Catholic School, is in Greenwell Springs.[15] It is under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. Established in 1963 as a grade 1-4 school, its initial enrollment was 131.[16]
Notable people
Dalton W. Honoré, state representative for District 63 in East Baton Rouge Parish, formerly resided in Greenwell Springs.[17]
^Home. Bellingrath Hills Elementary School. Retrieved on January 7, 2017. "6612 Audusson Greenwell Springs, LA 70739"
^"CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARD v. EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD." Louisiana Court of Appeals. Retrieved on January 6, 2017. "The Central Community School Board shall begin actual operation of providing for the education of students within its jurisdiction on July 1, 2007. "Beginning on the date the school board begins actual operation of providing for the education of students and thereafter, ․ all lands, buildings, and improvements, facilities, and other property having title vested in the public and subject to management, administration, and control by the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board for public education purposes but located within the geographic boundaries of the Central community school system or used to provide student transportation services to such facilities, or both, shall be managed, administered, and controlled by the Central Community School Board." and "The four schools located in Central are: Central High School[...]"
^Home. St. Alphonsus Catholic School Retrieved on January 8, 2017. "13940 Greenwell Springs Road | Greenwell Springs, LA | 70739"
^"History". St. Alphonsus Catholic School. Retrieved April 21, 2020. In 1962 the mission was established as a new parish [...] Only one year after its inception, a parish school with 131 students in grades one to four was opened. - Logically this means the school opened in 1963
