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The Mineral Wells Baker Hotel – an infamous place that has gathered the attention of many paranormal enthusiasts and horror fans around the United States. What decades ago has been a grandiose and luxurious place for relaxation is now only a shadow of its former self, attracting an all-new kind of audience. The now-abandoned hotel was built in the 1940s and had been in operation for over 30 years, housing various famous politicians, celebrities, and other rich people. Now, however, its dilapidated interior only serves as a tourist attraction for those interested in history or abandoned buildings of various sorts.
During its time, the Baker Hotel was truly magnificent. Opening its doors during the Great Depression, the hotel gained notoriety due to its proximity to the mineral wells, rumored to have healing properties. Tourists quickly flocked to the place, earning the hotel a notable reputation and large profits. Equipped with a large housing capacity and various entertainment, including a pool and a bowling alley, the hotel has been both a source of income for the town as well as its most famous landmark in the 1930s. The place was especially known for its extravagant conveniences, with automated lighting and conditioning for each suite, circulating ice water, and an unorthodox approach to collecting laundry. Unfortunately, sometime before WWII, the hotel changed hands due to the bankruptcy of its owner and started to lose profit. During the war, it largely operated as a temporary home for the soldiers of a nearby military base and saw some success as such. After the war, however, the hotel could not longer keep making money at the required pace. It closed soon after, unable to sustain itself, and fell into disrepair in the 1980s. Recently, some plans were made to renovate the building, however, anything has yet to happen and its future is uncertain.
During my life, I heard stories about the hotel’s history, its time, and its legacy. It always fascinated me how such gigantic structures, symbols of status and luxury, can be forgotten and almost lost to time due to circumstance. Looking at the pictures of its interior, I wondered to myself: what was it like to wander these halls in their prime? To live, sleep and eat at such a grandiose place, marveling at its magnificence. How would it feel for someone who stayed or worked there to know that it is now only a fraction of what once had been? I came to know this building personally recently, on one of the ghost tours that are usually held outside. It made me familiar with the building’s history and some of the urban legends surrounding it. This tour quite intrigued me, as I learned about the building’s more mysterious, and sinister, side. For example, some people report seeing a ghost of a woman on the 7th floor. Some visitors reported hearing disappearing footsteps, glasses marked by red lipstick were found in the vacant rooms. The ghost is rumored to be the mistress of the hotel manager, who tragically ended her own life. Other witnesses tell stories of windows opening and closing by themselves when no one should be inside, music playing in the abandoned halls, and seeing spirits of people long gone. These legends are what still drive people to this place, make them want to see the hotel for themselves. Such stories now comprise the modern legacy of the Mineral Wells Baker Hotel, with its glory long forgotten, and the building left as a reminder of the never-stopping passage of time.
References
“The Baker Hotel and Spa.” The Baker Hotel and Spa.
“The Baker Hotel Ghost Walk (Mineral Wells).” Tripadvisor.
“The Baker Hotel.” Visit Mineral Wells.
Hopkins, Bob. “The Ghosts of the Baker Hotel.”
Pracht, Raelyn. 2019. “After Sitting Abandoned for Decades, the Majestic Baker Hotel Will Open to Guests Once Again.” Roadtrippers.
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