French Lick Springs Hotel waiters pictured in front of the hotel in 1911. |
There are so many from the past who’ve helped shape our hotels and community into what they are today. And during Black History month, we’d like to spotlight a few of them. From a friendly face who greeted guests at the mineral spring, to a world-famous boxer who trained here, to the baseball diamond and Black heritage church in the community, we remember some of these stories from those who left an important legacy.
Yarmoth Wigginton
You could say he was an influencer of his day. A person
everyone recognized and knew; someone who even helped shift views and opinions.
Yarmoth Wigginton was his proper name. But to local
residents and visitors of French Lick Springs Hotel, he was better known simply
as “Pluto.” Yarmoth was the water server at French Lick Springs Hotel, dipping
probably thousands upon thousands of servings of mineral water for guests
frequenting the springs. In numerous historic photos from the late 1800s and
early 1900s, he’s dressed as the “devilish” Pluto Water mascot.
Born in Bloomfield, Kentucky in 1870, Yarmoth came to French
Lick around age 18. He was likely among the first Black workers at French Lick
Springs Hotel during this post-Civil War era when African Americans began
moving north to look for work in Indiana and other northern states. From his
beaming smile in the old photos at the Pluto spring, and some of the written
accounts of Yarmoth, you get a picture of how he made a major impression on
those he met – and earned respect during a time when gaining acceptance wasn’t
easy.
After Yarmoth died in 1923, an account of Yarmoth in the
local newspaper recalled that “he was a man of genial and happy disposition
and no one could hold a grouch very long if brought under his radiant play of
wit and humor.” And there were plenty more kind words in the newspaper
pages to put the legacy of this trailblazing employee and citizen into
perspective:
“The Valley has indeed lost one of its most valuable
assets in the person of Yarmouth (sic) Wigginton, known throughout the
community as ‘Pluto.’ … He came to French Lick in 1888 and here he had toiled
and made a reputation to be envied by the highest as well as the lowly. In
every avenue of life where true manhood and courage of conviction was required,
he was there, to play his part for the advancement of his race and the
community. He realized to the fullest that no part of a community can be
regraded or kept down without lowering the remaining part. Thus he worked not
only for uplift, but interracial understanding. Such a citizen, though humble, may
not walk Legislative halls, nor boast of College Degrees, leans a silent
influence that makes the coming generation, better citizens, place to his
ashes, and comfort to his family. Twas truly the passing of a great man whom
the community will find it hard to replace.”
Joe Louis
This Joe Louis Bridge is named to honor the famed “Brown
Bomber” who was the world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949 and used West
Baden as his training grounds from early 1935 through late 1950. Legend holds
that Louis could often be seen running through the steep streets in town, with
little kids sometimes trying to run alongside and feverishly trying to keep up
with one of boxing’s all-time greats.
During this era of segregation, Louis stayed at the Waddy Hotel, a hotel for Black guests on the east side of the bridge. And can you imagine how much it takes to feed an elite boxer in training? A published account from a chef at a West Baden hotel (likely the Waddy) reported that Louis liked pork chops and eggs for breakfast, and the champ was capable of consuming an entire pie for dessert.
The Waddy Hotel
A little more about the Waddy:
The two-story boarding house was built around 1910 and was one of two hotels in the
community that accommodated Black visitors. Rice’s Hotel was the other, but the
Waddy the more prominent of the two and hosted some famous guests.
Artie “Smitty” Smith, a member of Joe Louis’ entourage,
bought the Waddy in 1942 and expanded it to host ballplayers, boxers and other
famous guests. After a fire destroyed the hotel in 1951, Smitty and his wife built a home on the site, where he lived until 1996.
The First Baptist Church
French Lick and West Baden Springs Hotel aren’t the only
incredible stories of rebirth in this community. A group of volunteers rallied
the restoration of a 102-year-old church in West Baden Springs, and they’re “re-ringing
the bell” of the last Black heritage structure that still remains in this area.
The sign by the steps leading up to the church — it reads First Baptist Church (Colored),
Est. 1909 — tells of a church whose history took shape in a very different era.
When Black workers came to this area to be cooks, waiters, porters, maids and
bellmen, West Baden Springs Hotel owner Lee Sinclair realized how important it
was for them to have a place of worship to call their own during this segregation
era. Sinclair donated the land for the church to be built on, and it first
opened for worship in 1920.
Read more about the First Baptist Church in one
of our past blogs.
The West Baden Sprudels Baseball Team
Wild as it sounds, our little community was once synonymous
with some big-time baseball talent.
It started around the turn of the 20th century,
when French Lick and West Baden followed the practice of many resorts that sponsored
amateur baseball teams in the wake of the Civil War when baseball was gaining
popularity in America. In those early years, West Baden’s team – known as the
Sprudels – was comprised of several Black players who were employees of the
hotel. During their non-working hours, the Sprudels would entertain guests in
exhibition games played on the hotel grounds.
Then in 1910, Charles I. Taylor amped up the baseball scene even further. A legendary player, coach and later the co-founder of baseball’s Negro National League, Taylor relocated his Birmingham Giants to West Baden Springs Hotel and took on the Sprudels name. The Sprudels held their own (and even sometimes won) against major league teams who visited West Baden for spring training. And they produced legitimate stars like Charles' brother, Ben Taylor, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 after a successful stint in the Negro Leagues as a player and coach.
Read more about the Sprudels in
one of our past blogs.