French Lick Springs Hotel
National Register of Historic Places

French Lick Springs Hotel

French Lick, Orange County, Indiana
Listed
September 27, 2003
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
03000972

About this property

The French Lick Springs Hotel is a major resort hotel that is a part of the French Lick Resort complex in Orange County, Indiana. The historic hotel in the national historic district at French Lick was initially known as a mineral spring health spa and for its trademarked Pluto Water. During the period 1901 to 1946, when Thomas Taggart, a former mayor of Indianapolis, and his son, Thomas D. Taggart, were its owners and operators, the popular hotel attracted many fashionable, wealthy, and notable guests. The resort was a major employer of African-American labor, which mostly came from Kentucky. In the early 1900s, the hotel had a Negro league baseball team, the French Lick Plutos, and until the 1940s French Lick was a venue for spring training for professional baseball teams. In the 1920s and into the 1930s, the resort became known for its recreational sports, most notably golf, but the French Lick area also had a reputation for illegal gambling. After a series of subsequent owners and renovations, the hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The restored hotel, with its exteriors of distinctive, buff-colored brick, reopened in 2006.

Location

8670 West IN 56
French Lick, Orange County, Indiana
38.55519, -86.62168

Categories

ARCHITECTUREENTERTAINMENT/RECREATIONHEALTH/MEDICINELANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Dixie Garage
Industrial
0.7 mi
First Baptist Church
Industrial
0.8 mi
West Baden Springs Hotel
Industrial
0.9 mi
West Baden National Bank
Industrial
0.9 mi
Homestead Hotel
Industrial
0.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was French Lick Springs Hotel listed on the National Register?

French Lick Springs Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 2003.

What type of historic resource is French Lick Springs Hotel?

French Lick Springs Hotel is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for French Lick Springs Hotel?

The period of significance for French Lick Springs Hotel is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1901.

Can I research the history near French Lick Springs Hotel?

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