An abundant fresh-water spring made Clinton a popular resting place for travelers on the Natchez Trace. For centuries, the spring at this site supplied water to Native Americans, overland travelers from the North and East, and flatboatmen returning from New Orleans to their frontier homes. After Clinton was surveyed in 1829, Spring Street was laid out to provide public access to the spring, the town's main source of water. The town later built a well near the spring and began operating a water system in 1906. Although Spring Street was closed, the Town Spring remained usable as late as 1951, when an ice storm caused a power failure and Clinton's water system shut down, leading people to turn to the spring for water during the emergency.