Wrapping things up tonight, springtime is often a wonderful time to explore.

If you head over the border to South Carolina, you'll find a small town that has a bit of Revolutionary War history, Civil War history, and a local pizza spot that attracts people from all over.

"Carolina Impact's" Jason Terzis and producer John Branscum take us to Lancaster County to visit Heath Springs.

(rapid whooshing) (gentle music) - [Jason] Take a drive through Heath Springs, South Carolina.

And for some, it may seem like just another town that time forgot.

But the town that doesn't have a stoplight has a few stories to tell and a few stories still being written.

- Believe it or not, we got people coming from Columbia and from Charlotte just for the pizza.

- [Jason] That's right, folks driving for more than an hour to grab a slice at Heath Springs Pizzeria, the brainchild of Steve Myers.

- When you Google Heath Springs, I mean, the pizzeria comes up first.

- [Jason] Now, Myers admittedly isn't from around these parts.

- I'm originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

By trade, I'm an IT guy during the day.

So I'm a computer geek.

My passion has always been Italian food.

And I wanted to open up a pizza restaurant.

- [Jason] Over the last decade or so, he's been perfecting his pizza pies.

- I know what I'm doing when it comes to New York style pizza.

And it's not the water, okay?

It's the way you make your dough, the way you put the love and passion behind it.

- [Jason] Now, it may not be the water making the difference at Heath Springs Pizzeria, but there was a time folks flocked to the area for just that, the water.

- [Kip] There's a mineral springs there.

And the water doesn't taste very good.

And the result of that is that people naturally think it's good for you if it tastes bad.

And so, people came here starting in the late 1700s to get that water.

(truck rumbles) (gentle music) - [Jason] To get to the springs, folks traveled the Great Wagon Road, the very road local historian Kip Carter's house has sat on for more than two centuries.

- The state architectural historian looked at this house and said that he thought it was built about 1790, which was 10 years after the Battle of Hanging Rock, which was in 1780.

- [Jason] The Battle of Hanging Rock happened just down the road from Carter's house on land, now owned by the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust.

- There were two Battles of Hanging Rock here.

The first one's August 1st, 1780.

That was led by William Richardson Davie, who later founded the University of North Carolina, was governor of North Carolina.

- [Jason] The second Battle of Hanging Rock, according to Carter, took place on August 8th, 1780.

- And about that time, General Gates showed up with the southern army and was moving down this road in front of the house toward Camden.

But Cornwallis had come up from Charleston with 2,000 troops.

And they met just on this side of Camden.

And the American troops were defeated.

- [Jason] Fast forward about eight decades, and this area, once again, saw the horrors of war.

Carter says during the Civil War, a well-known Union General passed through the area.

- Among the people that came here was William Tecumseh Sherman after he burned Columbia.

And he used my house here as his headquarters for the last three days of February of 1865.

(gentle music) - [Jason] During the 18th and most of the 19th century, the area was known as Mineral Springs.

But around the corner, a name change was on the horizon.

- About 1889, a guy from Monroe named Benjamin Heath bought the land where the spring is.

And so, they started calling it Heath's Spring.

Things started growing up around here.

And so, they decided to incorporate the town.

And so, the town of Heath Springs was founded in about 1890 and grew into a sizable little community.

- [Jason] When the Great Depression crippled the nation during the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration selected Heath Springs for a project.

- It was a big deal.

You know, there were no jobs to be had.

- [Jason] Once again, the area's water played an essential role.

Welcome to the Springs Stevens Fish Hatchery, located on Hanging Rock Creek.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources operates a total of five fish hatcheries.

Spring Stevens Hatchery Manager, Sterling Brumbaugh, says the fish raised here stock public lakes and rivers in the state.

- Fishermen harvest the fish.

We're able to restock, you know, more numbers, help increase the population.

Also, populations that might be lacking, we're able to help boost those populations.

These production ponds are used for mainly two species of fish.

That being redbreast sunfish and striped bass.

I really take pride in what I do.

Being able to go out and supply a resource for fishermen and recreational users really means a lot.

And for that to be a part of Heath Springs, I think amplifies the town.

- [Jason] It's just north of the Hanging Rock Battlefield, and near the actual rock formation known as Hanging Rock.

It's open to the public.

But sorry, no fishing.

(gentle music) Back in town, longtime residents say things are changing.

- The town is starting to revive now.

We're starting to make a a pretty good comeback here.

- [Jason] And part of that comeback, of course, Heath Springs Pizzeria, where owner Steve Myers gets a little emotional when asked what it means to be a part of this small town.

- It's humbling, very humbling.

(gentle music) I'm a passionate guy.

I love people, especially people that do you right, you know?

But to see that they care for you and what you've done for them... And I love this little town.

I wanna see this town to be like one of them little Hallmark channel towns, right, where Hallmark comes in and says, "Hey, let's do a movie here."

That's my passion, that's my goal.

- [Jason] For "Carolina Impact," I'm Jason Terzis reporting.