(Note: The Baker Hotel is currently in renovation. Thanks to a $65-million project, the Baker Hotel is being restored and is projected to open by the end of 2022.
The Baker Hotel History
The Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, located about 50 miles west of Fort Worth, towers over the little town. The 14-story Baker Hotel was once the crowning glory of the tiny city, host to the rich and famous and anyone hoping to benefit from the local healing waters. Now, it’s a fascinating abandoned hotel in Texas.
TD Baker built the Baker Hotel in 1929 and opened its doors only two weeks after completion. The Baker had a lavish pool and spa filled with mineral-rich water, which drew all the famous and sick people to its doors.
The hotel went bankrupt in 1932 due to the stock market crash, but new owners bought it, keeping it alive for a few more years. It then changed hands again during WWII and became a military dependents quarter from 1941 till 1944.
The doors reopened as a hotel in 1963, but interest in the health spa waned with advances in modern medicine. It closed in 1972 and has remained so to this day.
Helen Keller, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and even the infamous Bonnie and Clyde stayed at the Baker in its heyday. Back then, this 450-room hotel was the height of luxury. There was a fancy spa, magnificent ballrooms, a bowling alley, a gymnasium, and the first hotel swimming pool in Texas.
The Baker Hotel Hauntings
As for the paranormal, there are supposedly dozens of spirits who chose to stick around the Baker Hotel. Some of them may have passed away while waiting to be cured by the healing waters. Some people even claim that the ghosts of Bonnie and Clyde still occupy one of the rooms, having a great time spending their stolen money.
The most famous ghost story is the haunting of TD Baker himself and his mistress.
TD Baker supposedly haunts the Baker Suite on floor 11. Baker is said to have died in his suite, leaving him to walk the halls of his masterpiece endlessly. Tour guides always knock on doors of the Baker suite to not anger TD by them entering.
Witnesses have claimed the entire 11th-floor smells of cigar smoke, matching the habit of the late TD Baker. Whenever a tour enters his suite, small items often disappear from the guests’ handbags or pockets. The tour guides will find them lying on the floor of Baker’s room hours later when it is time to close up for the night.
Baker is believed to have kept his mistress on the 7th floor. Some say the affair became too much. She decided to take her own life and jumped from the window of the 7th floor to her death. The reason for her suicide is unknown, but she is now a permanent guest of the Baker.
Countless patrons have spotted her. Her red hair, piercing green eyes, and lavender perfume are unmistakable. She was first seen in the 1950s by a hotel worker.
Later, a hotel maid found broken glass scattered all over a room on the 7th floor, stained with the same red lipstick the mistress wore.
The mistress will roam to different floors if she gets restless. Tour guides will hear the sounds of her high heels walking all around the first floor.
She is a flirtatious ghost who will touch and poke male tourists that she fancies. Mistress Baker is one of the most active spirits in the hotel, next to Baker himself.
The most gruesome spirit of the Baker is a bellhop. This poor young worker was chopped in half in an elevator accident in the 1950s. His apparition is only the top half of his body.
Historical records have confirmed the death of the young elevator attendant, matching the description of the ghost seen haunting the hotel.
There is another young boy who walks the halls. He passed around 1933 from leukemia while seeking treatment from the mineral springs. A shaggy dog often accompanies him.
He is one of the few spirits who has made an effort to communicate with local mediums asking for help. Most of the spirits who haunt the Baker hotel do not want help.
One medium claimed that the Baker might seem like a hotel full of tortured souls but is the exact opposite—many of these spirits returned or stayed because of the great peace and relaxation they found while staying at the Baker Hotel.
Sources: https://www.hauntedrooms.com/texas/dfw/haunted-places/baker-hotel-mineral-wells; https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/texas/haunted-hotels-tx/
his hotel has all the makings of a fantastic haunted destination when it reopens in 2022. What do you think? Are you scheduling your trip?
Until next time,