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A history of the area. For specific information,
click on any of the links within the text.
There are a number of colorful stories concerning the
origin of the town’s name but the most widely-accepted
theory came from its early settlers.
French Lick got its name from the early French
settlers and the “mineral licks.”
French traders came to the area and discovered the
mineral springs bubbling from the ground in the vicinity
of what is now
French Lick. At the same time, they discovered the
abundance of wildlife that flocked to them to lick the
mineral deposits left on the ground and rocks.
Around 1832, Dr. William Bowles, a nearby businessman,
purchased a considerable piece of property around the
most significant springs. Eight years later, Bowles and
partner John Hursgate began a mercantile trade selling
the water and they built a three-story guesthouse for
the recovery of the water, they called
 Pluto
Water after the Greek god of the underworld.
Bowles chartered the town in 1857 and later died in
1873. His wooden hotel structure burned in 1897 and the
property was then purchased by a syndicate fronted by
Indianapolis Mayor and National Democratic Committee
Chairman
Thomas Taggart and he began construction on what is
now the
French Lick
Resort Casino.
Under Taggart, the entire town of
French Lick thrived, mainly because the influx of
tourist traffic that came to drink the waters. He was a
community-minded businessman who, among other things,
supplied electrical service to the entire town and, as a
result, historic buildings were built in the
business district on what are now Maple and Main
Streets. |
 As
many as 14 Pullman train cars a day pulled into town,
traveling mainly down the Monon and Southern Railway
systems. In 1907 a limestone passenger station was built
and in 1929 a brick freighter station constructed to
handle the influx of tourists, who didn’t only come to
drink the water.
At the turn of the twentieth century, tourists
particularly came for the casino gambling, although it
was illegal. Until 1949, Taggart had all the right
political connections to avoid prosecution and as a
result thousands of dollars were dropped at gambling
halls like the Elite Club and the Brown.
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.
In 1915 local businessman Edward Ballard, owner of
seven circuses, built the Beechwood Mansion. Today, the
mansion is home to the
Beechwood
Inn Bed and Breakfast and the
French Lick Winery and Coffee Company.
The old train depot remains in downtown French Lick and
the
Indiana Railway Museum still houses railroad relics
and operates out of the historic building. The museum
was founded in 1961 to secure, restore, display and
operate railway equipment.
French Lick’s most famous citizen is basketball star
Larry Bird, who graduated from
Springs Valley High School. He went on to
become the NCAA’s Player of the Year at Indiana State
University and a Hall of Famer with the NBA’s Boston
Celtics. Click for
a printer friendly version of this page
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Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Post Office Box 71, French Lick, Indiana 47432
www.orangecounty.travel
Toll free: (877) 422-9925 Local: (812) 936-3418 Fax: (812) 936-7112
© 2007. Website maintained
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Internet Consulting.
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October 26, 2007 08:59 AM
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