If we learned one thing in the past 12 months, it’s that
history can be fun.
More on that in a second, but as we put a bow on 2018, we
owe a huge thank-you to the guests who continue making French Lick Resort such
a special place — from the 1 million-plus people who visited here this past
year, to the thousands and thousands who follow our social media and keep up on
our resort’s blog.
In compiling the top 10 most popular blog posts from 2018,
six of them were blogs highlighting some of the stories of French Lick Resort’s
history. 2018 will be history pretty soon, too, so before we jump into 2019 we’re
taking a look back at the top 10 stories that got the most traffic on our blog
this year.
#10: Memories from the 1930s at French Lick
Few people are still around who can remember what French
Lick Springs Hotel was like in its early heyday back in the 1930s. When
90-year-old John Hobson visited here last January, we were lucky enough to hear
a couple stories from the resort’s past. (Including the Pluto Water that his
grandmother swore by.)
#9: Golf Buddy Trips to French Lick Resort
Some cool traditions sprout from annual golf buddy trips,
and a couple groups that are regulars at The Pete Dye and Donald Ross Courses
let us in on some of the fun that goes down during their annual trips.
#8: The Man Who Keeps it Green
How do you keep thousands of flowers and plants across 3,000
acres looking so vibrant? Meet the man at the resort with the green thumb that
makes it happen.
#7: The Incredible Story Inside Room 3407
There are almost 450 rooms at French Lick Springs Hotel. And
over the summer, a pair of guests just so happened to stay in the one room that
had a photo on the wall containing a remarkable coincidence.
#6: “Carlsbad of America” explained
The archway entrance leading into West Baden Springs Hotel
proclaims to guests they are entering “The Carlsbad of America.” What’s that
all about? We trace the answer back more than 100 years.
#5: Jump Shots with Larry in the Atrium
Local hoops legend Larry Bird came back home to French Lick
and West Baden for a few summers in the early 1980s to host a basketball camp
for local kids. And that meant transforming the West Baden Springs Hotel atrium
into a basketball floor for a couple days.
#4: Stay Here for Weeks? It was once the norm
Back in the early 1900s, the average guest’s stay at West
Baden and French Lick Springs Hotels lasted two to six weeks. That’s right: 2-6
weeks, not 2-6 days. We explore some
of the reasons behind those old super-extended visits.
#3: Middle-of-the-night secrets at West Baden
Clendel Williams, 95, has a secret to tell about West Baden
Springs Hotel and its former owner Lee W. Sinclair. Back in 1902 when the hotel
first opened, Sinclair hired Clendel’s father for a special job at the hotel that
could only be performed in the dark solitude of night.
#2: Breaking New Ground with Construction Projects
A new Exhibition Hall, a new special events pavilion, 56 newguestrooms and a new sports bar: French Lick Resort keeps growing with more and
more new venues in the works.
#1: Digging deep to find a piece of West Baden’s history
Speaking of construction projects, in the process of a
construction dig back in July, we inadvertently stumbled upon a
piece of West Baden Springs Hotel history. A massive piece, in fact.
It’s the original head stone from the Apollo Spring in the
West Baden gardens. The mineral spring was last operational back in the
early/mid 1930s before the hotel closed, at which time the “Apollo” stone was
taken down and buried underground. There it sat for more than 80 years, until
being dug up this summer. The plan is to preserve and display the “Apollo”
stone somewhere eventually in the resort.