French Lick Springs Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
French Lick Springs Hotel
|
|
Front of the hotel
|
|
 Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 8670 West IN 56, French Lick, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Built | 1901 |
| Architect | Bendelow, Thomas; Floyd, William Homer, et al; D.A. Bohlen & Son |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Renaissance, et al. |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000972 |
| Added to NRHP | September 28, 2003 |
The French Lick Springs Hotel is a big resort hotel in Orange County, Indiana. It's part of the French Lick Resort complex. This historic hotel was once famous as a health spa with special mineral springs. It was also known for its unique "Pluto Water."
From 1901 to 1946, the hotel was owned by Thomas Taggart, a former mayor of Indianapolis, and his son. During this time, many rich and famous people visited. The resort was also a major employer for African-American workers, mostly from Kentucky.
In the early 1900s, the hotel even had its own African-American baseball team, the French Lick Plutos. Until the 1940s, professional baseball teams used French Lick for spring training. In the 1920s and 1930s, the resort became known for fun sports like golf. The French Lick area also had a reputation for games that were not allowed by law.
After many changes in ownership and updates, the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The hotel was fully restored and reopened in 2006. It now has a unique buff-colored brick exterior.
Contents
Hotel History
How it Started
The hotel is built near a "salt lick." This was a place where wild animals would come to lick salt from the ground. It was along an old trail called the Buffalo Trace in southern Indiana. Native Americans also used this area for hunting.
The place became known as French Lick because French traders and settlers lived nearby. Some stories say that George Rogers Clark named it. He camped here in 1786–87 during an expedition.
Early Days and Growth
In 1826, Indiana's government wanted to mine salt here. But there wasn't enough salt for a big mining operation. So, the land was put up for sale. In 1832, Thomas Bowles and his brother, William A., bought about 1,500 acres. This land included the mineral springs.
Doctor Bowles built an inn on the property. This inn became known as the French Lick Springs Hotel. It's thought that the first hotel opened around 1845. It was a narrow, three-story building. The early hotel was quite successful, operating during the summer.
In the early 1850s, Bowles took over managing the hotel again. He kept making improvements. Another doctor, John A. Lane, bought land nearby and built the West Baden Springs Hotel. This started a long-lasting competition between the two hotels.
In 1869, a doctor named Joseph G. Rogers named the French Lick hotel's biggest mineral spring "Pluto's Well." Pluto is the god of the underworld in old myths.
The original French Lick hotel was rebuilt and made bigger in the 1880s. It was sold to Hiram E. Wells and James M. Andrews. They made it into a popular health resort. In 1887, the Monon Railroad built a train line to bring guests to the hotels.
The main hotel building was destroyed by fire in 1897. But it was rebuilt even grander than before. The resort had three main springs: Bowles (later called Lithia), Proserpine, and the famous Pluto. People believed the mineral water and baths could help cure many health problems.
The Taggart Era
_(14755976991).jpg)
In 1901, a group of investors bought the hotel. This group included Thomas Taggart, a well-known politician and former mayor of Indianapolis. Taggart later became the sole owner around 1905.
Under Taggart's leadership, the hotel became a top-notch resort. He spent a lot of money on improvements. The main part of the hotel was redesigned in 1901–02. It got a new look inspired by Italian Renaissance style. All the new parts of the hotel used the same special buff-colored brick.
Taggart added many new parts to the hotel. These included a recreation center, guest rooms, dining areas, shops, and a spa. He also built special shelters for the mineral springs, like the Pluto spring house. Taggart modernized the hotel by adding electricity and a fresh water system. He also got the Monon Railroad to run daily train service to Chicago.
The hotel grounds had beautiful gardens, including a Japanese garden and an Italian-style garden. Guests could enjoy horseback riding, tennis, swimming, bowling, and fine dining. At its busiest, 150 to 200 guests checked in every day. The resort made over $2 million in profits each year.
After Thomas Taggart passed away in 1929, his son, Thomas Douglas Taggart, took over.
Changes Over Time
After a tough economic time in the 1930s, the resort focused more on golf and conventions. It was no longer just a health spa. Thomas D. Taggart sold the hotel in 1946.
The hotel changed owners several times. It was even called the French Lick-Sheraton Hotel for a while. Even with millions spent on updates, the hotel started to show its age. In 2005, the Cook Group bought the hotel.
A New Era: Casino Resort
The hotel got a big boost in the early 2000s. People in Orange County, along with the Cook Group and others, worked hard to allow casino games in the area. A new law was passed in 2003, and local voters approved it.
The Cook Group bought the French Lick Springs Hotel. They were given a license for a casino. The French Lick Resort Casino complex now includes the French Lick Springs Hotel, a casino, and the nearby West Baden Springs Hotel.
The French Lick hotel was restored as part of a huge $382 million project. This project also included building the new casino. The hotel's 443 guest rooms were updated, and the lobby was restored. The newly renovated hotel and casino opened on November 3, 2006.
Today, the French Lick resort covers about 2,600 acres. It has the hotel, a casino, restaurants, shops, a spa, and a conference center. Guests can enjoy swimming pools, three golf courses, bowling, a fitness center, horse stables, and over thirty miles of hiking trails.
Pluto Water
French Lick's special spring water was called Pluto Water. Guests could drink it at the hotel's Pluto Bar. The water was also bottled and sold all over the country and even internationally. Pluto Water's slogan was "If Nature Won't, Pluto Will."
Famous Visitors
Many famous people have visited the French Lick Springs Hotel. It was known as a top destination. Guests included movie stars like John Barrymore and Lana Turner. Entertainers like Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Louis Armstrong also visited.
Important politicians like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Richard Nixon stayed there too. Wealthy families, such as the Vanderbilts, also enjoyed the resort.
Games and Entertainment
Even though casino games were not allowed by Indiana law until the early 2000s, they were very popular in French Lick from the early 1900s to the mid-1940s. There were several places in Orange County where these games took place.
In 1904, Indiana's governor, Frank Hanly, stopped the games at the hotel and took away the equipment. Legal action was started against the hotel owners, but it later stopped. After this, the games moved to other places nearby. These unauthorized games continued until 1949, when another governor, Henry Schricker, finally closed them down.
Legal casino games returned to French Lick in 2006. This was when the new French Lick Resort Casino opened as part of the resort.
African-American Baseball Team
The French Lick Plutos were an independent African-American baseball team from 1912 to 1914. Many of the players were waiters at the resort. Their main rival was the team from the nearby West Baden Springs Hotel, called the West Baden Sprudels.
These games were played at the resort to entertain guests, but they were very competitive. Other African-American baseball clubs, like the Indianapolis ABCs, often came to play in French Lick. Many African-American workers came from Kentucky to work at the booming resorts. This led to a large increase in the local African-American population.
The tradition of African-American baseball teams continued until the Great Depression. This was a tough economic time when many people lost their jobs. Even in the 1940s, French Lick was still a place for professional baseball teams to train in the spring.
Golf Courses
As golf became more popular in the early 1900s, the resort improved its golf facilities. Around 1907, Thomas Taggart hired Tom Bendelow to make the Valley Course bigger. This was the resort's first golf course, and it became an eighteen-hole course.
Around 1917, Donald Ross designed the eighteen-hole Hill Course. This was the resort's second golf course. It was finished in 1920. This championship course was built on hilly land, with different elevations and challenges for golfers. The course hosted the PGA Championship tournament in 1924, which Walter Hagen won.
Gardens
The hotel was famous for its beautiful gardens. Postcards showing them were printed for many years. A large formal "Italian" garden was created in the 1910s. A Japanese garden was also built around 1920. It had a pond, a waterfall, and Japanese-style lanterns.
Important Moments
- Tomato juice is said to have been served for the first time at the hotel in 1917. The chef, Louis Perrin, ran out of orange juice and needed something else.
- When Thomas Taggart was in charge of the Democratic National Committee, the hotel became its unofficial meeting place. In 1931, Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the hotel. He came to get support from governors for his plan to become the president.
- The bottling of Pluto Water stopped in 1971.
Awards and Recognition
- The French Lick Springs Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. This means it's a very important historic site.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation has included the hotel in its Historic Hotels of America program.
