The Ghosts of the Baker Hotel Traditional Cache
Speedowl: Cache is no longer in a safe location if they are going to renovate this hotel. Let's keep our fingers crossed and watch the transformation.
The Ghosts of the Baker Hotel
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You are searching for a Nano container. I hope the coords are
accurate, there is an obvious tall structure that my interfere with
the satellites.
THE GHOSTS OF THE BAKER HOTEL
Mineral Wells, Texas - by Bob Hopkins
The bridge from the hotel to the pool
The Woman on the Seventh Floor
The stories of ghosts and hauntings began in the Baker long before
it ever closed. A porter who worked there during the 1950's and
1960's was the first known to witness the ghost of the woman on the
seventh floor. She was possibly the mistress of the hotel manager.
Distraught from her affair she jumped to her death from the top of
the building. The year of the incident has not been verified but
the room she stayed in, apparently quite comfortably, was a suite
on the southeast corner of the seventh floor. Many have reported
smelling her perfume and her spirit is said to be quite flirtatious
with men she may fancy.
Recently a woman, who worked as a maid in the hotel, reported that
on several occasions she found glasses in the room with red
lipstick stains on the rims. This took place at times when no one
was staying in the room.
Jane Catrett who is assisted by Ronny Walker now manages the
building. Ronny manages tours of the building on weekends when time
allows and is quite knowledgeable on the history of the hotel as
well as the reports of a few sightings of disembodied guests.
Ronny reported one night he was near the main lobby on the first
floor when he heard the distinct sound of a woman in high heals
walking across the lobby. Thinking the footsteps to be those of
Jane Catrett he yelled out her name; however, the footsteps faded
away and upon further inspection, Ronny found himself all alone.
Later he discovered that Jane had not been in the building that
day.
On another occasion, Ronny reported being on the 7th floor
re-setting an electrical breaker to the Christmas lights, which
continuously tripped every night during display. As he was
inspecting the fuse box, attempting to locate the breaker switch,
he heard the footsteps of an unseen person walking up to his left -
quietly - as if not to bother him. A bit startled, he turned to
look and saw no one. Ronny spoke to the possible ghosts and assured
them he meant no harm. After that night the lights never tripped
off again.
The hallway of the 11th floor
The "Brazos Room"
Another incident occured during a tour of the hotel by a group of
W.W.II veterans and their spouses. As the group entered the "Brazos
Room" on the first floor, which was the main dining room and dance
area, a couple suddenly stopped. The woman looked at her husband
and asked, "Do you hear that?" He replied, "Why, I certainly do".
About that time several other people in the group began to hear
sounds of dishes and silverware clanking as well as people talking
with orchestra music in the background. Most of the people there
reported this event. It has never happened before nor since -
according to the source - but the witnessess were sure they were
experiencing the ghostly echoes of a time long past.
Outside the Cloud Room
The Fresh Air Ghosts
A young woman who worked at a local drive-through bank in the early
1990's reported that she and other tellers had their workstations
facing the huge hotel. During slow times they noticed hotel windows
open on various floors. Later they would notice these windows
closed and others would be open. After awhile they began to take
note and count which were opened and closed. The pattern changed.
One of the girls told the others "it must be the man who lives in
the building and takes care of it". After that, the interest ceased
and they stopped noticing. The strange thing is, no one has ever
stayed in the Baker at any time since its closure in 1970. There
never was a caretaker. So just who was opening and closing the
windows?
The Baker Hotel distant view
The Anonymous Psychic, Nostalgic Ghosts and a Shaggy
Dog
In the spring of 2000, I spoke with a local Mineral Wells woman who
claimed to be a psychic. She has wished to remain anonymous for
fear of ridicule in such a small town and I, for one, certainly
understand.
She told me, ever since she was a young girl, she has had the
ability to see spirits. She said she had been in the Baker many
times and had even managed a shop on the outside first floor back
in the early 1980s. She said the stories are true. The Baker is
very haunted - but not like we think. Most ghosts didn't
necessarily die at the Baker, but returned after death because the
hotel represented a wonderful time in their lives.
She went on to say that most of the spirits in the hotel do not
want to be seen or heard with the exception of a small child. A
little boy, about six to eight years old, was the only one to
communicate with her. He told her he died in a hotel apartment in
1933 when his parents were seeking medicinal treatment for his
leukemia.
She reported a large shaggy dog always accompanied the child. He
also bounced a ball to get her attention and " he was watched by an
unknown older woman who was always near him."
The psychic went on to tell me the spirits don't necessarily look
the age they were when they died. Some were employees of the
building. One she said, for reasons she doesn't understand, was a
helicopter pilot who attended basic flight training at Ft. Wolters
in the 1960's. He was killed in a helicopter crash while at Ft.
Rucker, Alabama. He had returned to the Baker with his body in the
same traumatic state that resulted from the crash.
Hallway accessing spiral staircase leading to bell tower
Investigation
With so many sightings in such a landmark, it was time to see if
any of it could be proven. In October 2000, two Paranormal
Investigation teams, "DFW Ghostwatchers" from Dallas and "Lone Star
Spirits" from Houston were contacted to perform a full-scale
investigation.
With about $100,000.00 worth of high tech scientific
instrumentation, the teams began a full-scale research mission on
the Baker that took three visits to complete.
Investigator Dusty Rainbolt, of DFW, using a digital camera,
photographed hundred's of orbs. Orbs, according to some experts,
are actual spirits of the dead. Orbs were photographed throughout
the building with the largest concentration being in the basement,
and on the fifth, seventh and fourteenth floors. Dusty also
captured an orb partially hidden behind a door which she said was
most unusual.
She also captured, what appeared to be, two very distinct "ecto
mist" apparitions in the 14th floor ball room. Another
photographer/investigator, Weems Hutto, was taking still shots with
a 35 mm camera at the same time and captured what appeared to be
another ecto mist above the first photographer. Another psychic who
accompanied the team reported "seeing" an old woman in a wheelchair
in the southeast corner of the ballroom who kept saying, "I can't
do it", "I can't do it".
On one night the fifth floor was the most active. Donna, the
psychic with the group, felt hesitant and nauseous as she moved
toward the west end of the fifth floor. She said someone was trying
to make the team "sick" so they would leave. She refused to go any
farther in that direction. Later, members of Lone Star Spirits who
visited the area began to choke and cough at the same spot, unaware
of Donna's earlier experience.
Donna was then drawn to a room on the north end of the fifth floor
where she sensed a young woman making rustling sounds with her
dress. Donna reported the young girl to be moving to and fro,
making sure her makeup was just right. She said the spirit would
move around the men in the group and was especially attracted to a
certain one. She went on to say she sensed a man about to knock on
the door to escort her to a dance in the Sky Room.
Another psychic named Wayne, later joined the group on the fifth
floor, and confirmed Donna's findings. He added that he had picked
up on "disgust and discomfort" on the west end and said the area
was occupied by a large disgusting man who wanted everyone to
leave. Wayne said he found suffering and disease in the area.
A time-lapse video camera was placed in the first floor Brazos room
and over a four-hour period various objects appeared moving. 151
objects - to be exact. The room had been closed off to the party
and entrance was not allowed by anyone "living". The objects could
have been dust motes reflecting light, but some were moving orbs.
An audio of the basement elevator area captured the distinct sound
of a man screaming in agony. A different group recorded the same
sound on another investigation in June 2001. It would have been
difficult for anyone in the team to mimic the sound since the area
had been locked to keep everyone out.
One of the expedition members gets nauseous whenever she gets
around haunted places. At the Baker she was unable to stay more
than a few minutes before she was forced to leave - very ill.
In May 2001, nine journalism students from Weatherford High School
spent a Saturday night in the hotel, not really putting much
interest in the ghost stories. The group, of course, thought
differently after their visit. (See Forum below)
A picture taken of the students on the fourteenth floor ballroom
shows them enveloped by hundreds of orbs, which they never actually
saw. Another picture taken by the only female in the group
captures, what appears to be the profile of a blond woman's head.
No one in the group had blond hair, let alone, long blond hair. The
picture was taken in a darkened room.
With so much activity in the building it may be one of the most
haunted places in Texas if not in the country. One psychic claimed
to have counted at least 49 different spirits in the building. The
investigations are not complete and are currently being continued
by "Dagulf's Ghost", another professional paranormal investigating
team. With so much paranormal activity, the Baker has become a hot
spot for investigators. It is hopeful that in time, more proof of
the restless spirits will be documented.
The Cloud Room Interior
Afterword:
In 1982 the Baker's owners auctioned the hotel's furniture and most
original fixtures. The hotel remains a grand old structure, though,
containing thousands of stories of the people that stayed there -
some during their last days as they sought cures for terrible
illnesses. Once the playground for cattle barons, oil tycoons,
Hollywood celebrities, and military and political leaders, the
decaying grand hotel sits reminding us of an era long gone. Like
the mighty RMS Titanic on the bottom of the ocean fading into time,
the Baker sits in the middle of the Texas Cross Timbers Region,
slowly wasting away. Gone are the starlets, the proud men in
uniform, the big bands, the conventions, and others who made the
Baker a memorable part of their lives. Perhaps some never left at
all or have returned to forever experience a time when Mineral
Wells was one of North Texas' finest cities. So, if you get the
chance to visit the beautiful old hotel, please have respect for
those who may still be there - the Baker's patrons who refused to
check out.
A new attitude is emerging that may rekindle the spark of old
Mineral Wells and the Baker. According to expert, the Baker is
still structurally sound, but, a complete renovation could cost
30-55 million dollars. Tours of the Baker are conducted weekends
during warmer months. For more information - contact the Mineral
Wells Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-252-MWTX. And if you happened to
visit the seventh floor, don't be surprised if you catch the faint
scent of a young lady's perfume as she lurks the old halls - lost
in time.
Close up of bridge and entrance
A Brief History of The Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells
The stories of ghosts and hauntings began in the Baker long
before it ever closed.....
Once a very lavish hotel, the huge Baker was the site of many
wonderful times. Set in the backdrop of the bustling early
twentieth century, the Baker was a reflection of all that America
was. The hotel, born at the beginning of the great depression,
survived the financial hardships of the era to witness the greatest
war mankind has ever seen.
Becoming one of the state's most lavish resorts, the Baker built a
magnificent reputation that attracted people from all walks of life
for one reason or another. One may find the history of the grand
old hotel very interesting. That history could well be a key to
some of its permanent guests.
In 1914 the Crazy Water Hotel was erected and became the center of
activities. But a devastating fire in March 1925, destroyed most of
the building. It was then that a man by the name of T. B. Baker, a
wealthy hotel businessman, decided to build a grand hotel in
Mineral Wells based on the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs,
Arkansas.
Baker owned several hotels throughout Texas at that time, including
the St. Anthony, the Gunther, and Menger in San Antonio, the
Stephen F. Austin in Austin, the Texas Hotel in Ft. Worth, the
Baker in Dallas, the Goodhue in Port Arthur, the Galvez in
Galveston, the Edson in Beaumont, and the Sterling in Houston.
Construction began in 1926 and was it was completed in 1929, at a
cost of $1,250,000.00. The facility magnificently reflected the
spirit of the "roaring twenties". It's fourteen storiestowered over
the small town of 7,000 residents like a brown brick giant. It had
460 rooms, two complete spas, and what is said to be the first
Olympic-size swimming pool in the United States. It rivaled any
hotel in New York or Chicago.
Many celebrities visited or performed at the Baker, according to
old hotel registers. The Baker hosted the Three Stooges, Clarke
Gable, Judy Garland, Will Rogers, Marlene Dietrich, General
Pershing, L.B.J., Jean Harlow, Sammy Kaye, Jack Dempsey, Sam
Rayburn, Helen Keller, Ronald Reagan and Mary Martin, just to name
a few.
According to an article in "Palo Pinto County History Vol. 1", a
waiter recalled a $2.00 tip given to him by outlaws Bonnie Parker
and Clyde Barrow, although he didn't recognize them at the time.
Many "Big Bands" blasted out their tunes from the "Sky Room" at the
top of the building or in the first floor "Brazos Room." Lawrence
Welk remembered his "starting out days" at the Baker when he still
had difficulty with English. Other entertainers of the time that
visited the Baker included Guy Lombardo, Paul Whiteman, Dorothy
Lamour, and later, Pat Boone.
World War II ushered in a new era for the hotel with the growth of
nearby Fort Wolters. The base eventually became the largest
infantry replacement base in the country, with 30,000 soldiers
passing through it's gates in 1942 alone. The Baker was then at its
peak, catering to both civilians and military personnel.
Life in America, however, began to change by the 1950's. The FDA
crackdown on inflated advertising on cure-all tonics and mineral
waters changed the way we viewed medicine. New antibiotic drugs and
preventive medicine soon became the healthcare mainstream as the
need for mineral waters began to fade. The interstate highway
system in the late 1960's re-routed the main flow of traffic out of
Mineral Wells and I - 20, 14 miles south, cut off a major financial
artery to the town.
In 1952, Mr. T. B. Baker, retired. Since he had no children, he
left his hotel empire to his nephew, Earl Baker who was already a
successful part of the business. Earl Baker lived in San Antonio
and said he would continue to operate the Baker in Mineral Wells
until his 70th birthday. True to his word, on April 30th, 1963, the
Baker closed its doors. But not for long. A group of civic leaders
managed to re-open the hotel in 1965, but with very little profit,
the hotel closed for good in 1970.
In a strange twist of fate, Earl Baker was visiting the hotel for
one last time on December 3, 1967 when he suddenly died of a
massive heart attack. It was as if the hotel dealt him a vengeful
blow for the years of declining glory and subjugated neglect.
In 1973, the Army closed Fort Wolters - yet another major blow to
the Mineral Wells economy. By the late 1970's the city had lost one
third of its population. The oil and gas industry moved in and
sparked some hope, but by 1985 it too went bust -leaving the town
once again desperate for an economic future.
Although the city of Mineral Wells has recovered to a small degree,
it's once beautiful hillsides are slowly being depleted by brick
plants and the factory-dependent town survives on an economic base,
far below yesteryear's glory days and the fame of its healing
waters.
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