Sandy Springs is named for a natural springs bubbling up through clear white sand. The springs were a Cherokee and Creek Indian campsite which became the property of the orphans of John Medows of Henry County in the 1821 Land Lottery. Wilson Spruill purchased the property in 1842. He and his neighbors built a log cabin church on the ridge above in 1848 and Methodist camp meetings were held here for over 100 years. The Springs also served as a resting point along a significant southeastern migration route. The Williams-Payne farmhouse (circa 1869) was moved to the Springs site in 1985.

The above picture is the actual spring.  You can visit at the William Payne House at Heritage Sandy Springs.