Last Saturday my wife and I drove from Indianapolis down to French Lick, Indiana. You know the town Larry Bird comes from.
Long before Larry Bird this small town, in southern Indiana, had the world renowned French Lick Spa. It almost reads like some of the stories about the hotels in Berchtesgaden:
“In 1832, all the lands surrounding the actual mineral springs, which had been reserved for production of salt, were offered for public sale. A Dr. William A. Bowles purchased some 1,500 acres, including all the large springs, and in 1845 he opened the first French Lick Springs Hotel. The three-story frame building was an immediate success; people flocked from hundreds of miles to partake of the miracle waters. They carried the mineral water away in all sorts of jugs and canvas containers, and Doc Bowles had struck it rich. In the 1850's, as North-South tension mounted, Bowles took time out from subversive activities to help charter the town of French Lick. Just before the Civil War, Bowles was arrested, court martialed, convicted of treason and sentenced to death. President Lincoln, however, quietly commuted the sentence to life imprisonment. Bowles spent the war in a Federal prison in Ohio, returned to French Lick in 1865, and managed the hotel until his death in 1873.”
During the “Golden Years” of the 30’s this place boomed. Many famous people stayed there. Not only did dignitaries like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lana Turner, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope visit, but French Lick also produced its own notes of infamy. In 1917 the chef at the French Lick Resort Casino ran out of oranges to serve for breakfast so he created tomato juice for the first time.
This past weekend was the first time the hotel opened after many years of being closed. As two of Indiana's greatest treasures, the French Lick Springs Hotel, and its sister property, the West Baden Springs Hotel, are undergoing a $382 million dollar preservation, and expansion.
Walking through the halls and lobby you could see the Walker (Platterhof) and the Berchtesgadner Hof. Without looking out the window you could visualize walking in any of the hotels of Berchtesgaden during their era. It was kind of “spooky”. It was like walking through a time warp.
What really gets under my skin is here in the States they tear-down many old beautiful buildings and put up a parking lot or condos. When they do it in Europe it really hurts. Especially those that remember those old buildings.
Well………..my walk through the newly renovated French Lick Springs brought back memories of the Walker and Hof. It brought a tear to my eyes and a lump in my throat.
If you ever get down that way, stop in and see what I saw. I know you will feel a tug on your heart.
JIM