During the Civil War, Oliver Springs escaped direct combat but suffered from the wider turmoil that gripped much of East Tennessee. In Anderson, Morgan, and Roane Counties, where many residents had voted against secession, bitter divisions between Union and Confederate sympathizers led to violence, distrust, looting, and foraging, and isolated farm families endured the harsh effects of guerrilla warfare. As the war continued, soldiers from both sides passed through the area and stripped farms of livestock, food, and other provisions. Union and Confederate authorities also used the Oliver Inn, a mile and a half south, as a hospital at different times during the war. After the war, the springs continued to draw visitors, helping the town recover. The inn passed through several owners before burning in 1892, and investors built a grand hotel at the springs in 1895. With rail access since the 1880s, Oliver Springs became a nationally popular destination for travelers seeking the healing waters until that elegant hotel burned in 1905. Settlers had originally established Oliver Springs near the mineral springs, and the town took its name from landowner and postmaster Richard Oliver, who bought hundreds of acres to profit from the springs' medicinal appeal. Around 1830 he built a 35-room brick inn near the present-day Norwood Middle School, and by 1860 his personal estate was valued at $17,450. He died on May 31, 1861, as the war began.