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AHistory
History · French Lick

French Lick’s post office opened in 1847, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 10 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1913 on, and the census since 1900.

1847first post office
2on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From French Lick’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How French Lick began

When was French Lick founded?

1847

The French Lick post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 260 in 19002020 census: 1,722179 years

How historic is French Lick?

A

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first French Lick post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives French Lick’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, French Lick is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of French Lick’s overall grade.
Founding era1847, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194031.4% of homes (±7.8) · typical IN town 14.4% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register2 listings, 11 historic buildings, 60.2 per 10,000 residents · typical IN town 7.9 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 92%
NewerOlder

Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so French Lick’s 60.2 sits above most of its state (77% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about French Lick’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 2,462 in 1930; 1,722 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1847: 179 years of French Lick.Old housesHalf of French Lick’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start French Lick’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how French Lick’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFrench Lick Springs Hotel: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

French Lick, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,462

Peaked at 2,462 in 1930; 1,722 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on French Lick’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

French Lick, 1812 to 1951

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1812In the archiveFort French Lick 1812
  3. 1839Born hereLaura Lyon White is born here
  4. 1847Post officeThe French Lick post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900In the archiveFrench Lick Springs Hotel
  7. 1906Born hereCharlie Biggs is born here
  8. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 2,462
  9. 1944Born hereJerry Reynolds is born here
  10. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How French Lick came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of French Lick.

Read it all →

French Lick was originally a French trading post built near a spring and salt lick. A fortified ranger post was established near the springs in 1811. On Johnson's 1837 map of Indiana, the community was known as Salt Spring. The town was founded in 1857. French Lick's post office has been in operation since 1847.

The sulfur springs were commercially exploited for medical benefits starting in 1840. By the latter half of the 19th century, French Lick was famous in the United States as a spa town. In the early 20th century it also featured casinos attracting celebrities such as boxer Joe Louis, composer Irving Berlin, and gangster Al Capone.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

French Lick, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1810s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1810s1 item
Fort French Lick 18121812Fort French Lick 1812Document
1900s2 items
French Lick Springs Hotel1900French Lick Springs HotelPlutoSpring19031903PlutoSpring1903
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today27 recent
French Lick, IN, USA - panoramio (10)2013French Lick, IN, USA - panoramio (10)French Lick, IN, USA - panoramio (1)2013French Lick, IN, USA - panoramio (1)French Lick Township, IN, USA - panoramio (6)2013French Lick Township, IN, USA - panoramio (6)French Lick Township, IN, USA - panoramio (5)2013French Lick Township, IN, USA - panoramio (5)French Lick Township, IN, USA - panoramio (4)2013French Lick Township, IN, USA - panoramio (4)French Lick Township, IN, USA - panoramio (3)2013French Lick Township, IN, USA - panoramio (3)French Lick Township, IN, USA - panoramio (2)2013French Lick Township, IN, USA - panoramio (2)Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (20)2013Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (20)Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (2)2013Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (2)Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (19)2013Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (19)Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (18)2013Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (18)Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (16)2013Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (16)Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (15)2013Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (15)Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (14)2013Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (14)Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (1)2013Columbia Township, IN, USA - panoramio (1)French Lick Sandstone Company, circa 1965 - Advertising Postcard2012French Lick Sandstone Company, circa 1965 - Advertisi…PostcardPluto-water2011Pluto-waterWorld Famous Pluto Spring, French Lick, Indiana 032009World Famous Pluto Spring, French Lick, Indiana 03World Famous Pluto Spring, French Lick, Indiana 022009World Famous Pluto Spring, French Lick, Indiana 02World Famous Pluto Spring, French Lick, Indiana 012009World Famous Pluto Spring, French Lick, Indiana 01Indiana Fall2009Indiana FallFrench Lick Trains - Passenger Car2009French Lick Trains - Passenger CarFrench Lick Trains - Caboose2009French Lick Trains - CabooseFrench Lick Indiana - 5 & 10 cent Souvenirs Toys Candy2009French Lick Indiana - 5 & 10 cent Souvenirs Toys CandyFrench Lick RR 352 Station2008French Lick RR 352 StationFrench Lick RR 345 Pullman2008French Lick RR 345 PullmanFrench Lick Bridge 20062006French Lick Bridge 2006
On the map

French Lick on the map, 1951 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of French Lick. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

French Lick on the 1951 USGS mapFrench Lick on the 1965 USGS mapFrench Lick on the 1989 USGS mapFrench Lick on the 1993 USGS map1951French Lick sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of French Lick.

Every building

French Lick, building by building, 1913

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

French Lick fire insurance map, 1913, sheet 11913Sheet 1 of 5
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

French Lick Springs Hotel
Retake this viewFrench Lick Springs Hotel, 1900

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on French Lick’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 listings protect 11 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
11
each building in a district counts
first listed
2003
French Lick Springs Hotel
French Lick Springs HotelFrench Lick Methodist Episcopal Church
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
Italian Renaissance1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
19th and 20th Century American Movements: Commercial Style1
French Lick Springs HotelQueen Anne
All 2 listings
French Lick Methodist Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 2026

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in French Lick

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Jerry ReynoldsAmerican basketball player and coach · b. 1944
C
Charlie BiggsAmerican baseball player · b. 1906
Laura Lyon WhiteAmerican activist, clubwoman · b. 1839
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

West Baden Springs6 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about French Lick’s history

What year was French Lick founded?

The French Lick post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does French Lick rank for history?

French Lick is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in French Lick?

Two places: the French Lick Springs Hotel (listed 2003) and the French Lick Methodist Episcopal Church (2026).

How old are the homes in French Lick?

31% of French Lick’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.8 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1959.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (29), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.