French Lick Springs Hotel. Nestled in the Hoosier National Forest this valley has long been an attraction because of the many mineral water springs found here. The free-flowing mineral water left a residue of salt on the rocks surrounding the springs that attracted the animals, such as deer and buffalo, to lick the salt off the rocks, making this one of the many “Licks” in what is now southern Indiana. Most historians agree that there were probably French fur traders and French missionaries in this area during the time we were part of “New France”. However, when the British and German settlers started coming into this part of the country in the very early 1800’s no other settlers were to be found. By 1812, there was so much tension between the settlers and the Native Americans that the governor of the Indiana Territory ordered blockhouses to be built in several locations as forts for the settlers to stay in when necessary, especially at night. One such fort was built here at French Lick in 1812. When Indiana became a state, this area was thought to be a probable source of salt and was reserved for that purpose. When it became apparent that the quantity of salt was insufficient for manufacturing, the land was put up for public auction. In 1833, Dr. William Bowles a physician from Paoli, bought 15,000 acres of land, which he began to develop and by 1845, he had built the first “French Lick Springs Hotel”. This was a wood frame building of “peculiar architecture” that drew people from as far as one hundred miles away to partake in the “miracle waters.” Some even carried the mineral water home in jugs and canvas containers.
The French Lick Hotel thrived under various owners, with two more buildings being added in 1888. One building was called the Clifton and had additional rooms for guests while the other building was called the Pavilion, which was used for billiards, dancing, and had a casino on the second floor. In 1897, the original building, now called the Windsor, burned. The owners had very good insurance and rebuilt immediately. Tom Taggart, the mayor of Indianapolis, along with a small group of seven investors, formed the French Lick Hotel Company and bought the property in 1901.
It was under Tom Taggart’s imaginative rule that the French Lick Springs Hotel rocketed to international prominence. First, he enlarged the east wing, now known as the Spa Wing, using the famous, yellow, “French Lick Brick”, scagliola (faux marble) and the Italian mosaic floors you now see. He also had the Monon Railroad lay a special spur and run daily trains between Chicago and the front entrance of the hotel. In 1907, he hired Tom Bendelow to design the resort’s first championship golf course, formerly known as “The Valley Course” and, in 1917, had Donald Ross design and build what has been known as “The Hill Course”. He modernized and expanded the baths and built a new bottling house to bottle “Pluto Water” in HISTORY OF concentrated form for national distribution. With an expansive and luxurious spa and, after Mr. Taggart had been named Democratic National Chairman, the elite of politics and society suddenly “discovered” French Lick Springs. It was at this hotel that, in 1917, the world famous chef, Louis Perrin, first served tomato juice. Mr. Taggart evicted the operator of the casino that was on the property shortly after purchasing the hotel and always disclaimed any connection with the plush gambling casinos throughout the valley. However, extensive illegal gambling existed throughout the French Lick area until the last casino was closed in 1949.
Mr. Taggart, who served briefly as a U.S. Senator by appointment, described himself as a family man first, a hotel man second and a political lobbyist third. He grew in stature until he was acknowledged as the power behind Democratic politics in the United States.
Simultaneously, French Lick Springs Hotel developed a reputation as the unofficial headquarters of the Democratic Party.
It was here in this hotel that, in 1931, Franklin D. Roosevelt rounded up support at a Democratic Governor’s Conference for the party’s presidential nomination.
The Taggart’s were parents of five daughters and one son, Thomas D. Taggart, who carried on after his father’s death in 1929.
Today, French Lick Springs Hotel rests on some 2,600 acres in the breathtaking Hoosier National Forest and is part of the $382 million restoration and expansion that has created French Lick Resort Casino.
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