French Lick · French Lick Resort
French Lick Springs Hotel
Thomas Taggart's springs resort, which sold Pluto Water nationally and where FDR rallied support in 1931; its oldest part is the 1901 east wing.
- Built
- 1901Hotel established about 1845; the oldest surviving part is the east wing built in 1901 under Thomas Taggart, with later additions; restored and reopened in 2006.
- Style
- Queen Anne / Renaissance Revival
- Architect
- William Homer Floyd; D. A. Bohlen & Son (per the NRHP listing)
- Type
- Resort
- Rooms
- 442
- Area
- French Lick Resort
- Credentials
- Historic Hotels of America member; Inside a National Register historic district
The story
Paoli physician William A. Bowles built the first hotel beside the sulfur springs around 1845. Former Indianapolis mayor Thomas Taggart bought it in 1901, expanded it, added golf courses and sold the springs’ Pluto Water nationally; under Taggart and his son (1901–1946) it drew wealthy guests and served as an unofficial Democratic Party headquarters, and Franklin D. Roosevelt rallied support there at the 1931 governors’ conference. After later owners and renovations it was listed on the National Register in 2003 and reopened after a full restoration in 2006.
The ghost story
Listverse reports that locals call the hotel one of Indiana's most haunted places: former owner Thomas Taggart's ghost is the spirit most often reported, said to leave a smell of smoke and even to ride a horse down a sixth-floor hallway, and guests describe a bellhop apparition.
Source: listverse.com
Good to know
- Parking: on-site free
- Pets welcome
- Address: 8670 West State Road 56, French Lick, IN 47432
Sources (4)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.