“The news has come to Kansas City that a party of capitalists have bought land surrounding Sweet Springs, with the idea of reviving the glories of Missouri’s famous watering place; and this news has awakened some delightful memories for the ‘oldest inhabitants’ and the society belles of two and three decades ago, all of whom remember Sweet Springs as the social center of the Southwest.

In 1870, Sweet Springs was an ordinary Missouri town owned principally by one Dr. Yantis, who conducted a school.  In 1873, the Marmaduke's, members of an old Southern family, bought the land from Dr. Yantis and surrounded themselves by an interesting coterie of distinguished southerners, who were attracted by the beautiful situation of the town and the medicinal properties of the springs.  In 1875, so far had traveled the fame of the town that a hotel was built; and in 1876, its reputation was established, and visitors came from all over Missouri and the Southwest to summer at Sweet Springs, which was to Missouri what White Sulphur Springs was to Virginia.

Sweet Springs is situated in Saline County on the Lexington branch of the Missouri Pacific railroad, and a more inconvenient spot than it was thirty years ago cannot be imagined.  The land lies on a plateau higher than the surrounding country and wooded like a park.  A beautiful creek, called the Blackwater, sometimes as wide as a river, runs through the grounds.  In the Blackwater, it is whispered, are fish, fish that may be caught, and the Blackwater was one of the drawing attractions for the elderly people.

In those days Sweet Springs was very rustic.  In the hotel a delightful country table was set; and the people who went there enjoyed the best sort of a simple life with plenty to eat, drink, to amuse them, and no arguments over ideals.  The hotel was famous for many dishes, but especially for its Sally Lunn, a delicacy made by a black mammy formerly owned by Mrs. Foster, hotel in charge of Col. Walton of Lexington, MO.  But it was not scenery or cooking that made Sweet Springs famous, it was the people.  Sweet Springs was the rendezvous of the cream of Missouri society.

Here social romances were enacted, social triumphs scored.  The society matron of St. Louis and Kansas City thought her year spoiled unless she made a visit to Sweet Springs; and the woman who took her family to the seashore, the mountains of Europe, always went down to Sweet Springs to “recuperate,” while many families stayed from the first of May to the first of October.

To four Marmaduke's, J.S. afterwards Governor, Leslie, D.W., and Vincent, belongs credit for much of the éclat of Sweet Springs.  These four brothers, gentlemen of the old Southern school, attracted only the better class of people, and through their patronage the Springs thrived.  Governor Marmaduke had a cottage at the Springs, and there practically the whole of his political campaign was fought.  Governor Crittenden, too, spent much time at Sweet Springs and won many of his political scalps there.  Saline County, one of the richest in Missouri, has long been famed as the home of governors.

If there could be a distinction in the social life of the Springs, the cottagers had the best of it.  Summer after summer they lived there and grew into a social and political power.  Besides the Marmaduke cottage, there was the Vest cottage, where the Senator wrote his famous eulogy to a dog.  Senator Vest became so attached to Sweet Springs that he made it his home altogether and spent his last days there.  Senator Vest’s son Alex still occupies the old cottage each summer; and last year his daughter, Mollie Vest, now Mrs. Jackson of St. Louis and a charming matron, spent the season there.

Next to the Vest cottage was the cottage of the Neidringhaus family of St. Louis, which was always filled with a gay crowd of guests.

Gov. Lon V. Stephens had a cottage there, as had Congressman Cockrell and the Ewings of Warrensburg.  Miss Iola Harwood, a sister of Mr. Levin Harwood of this city, had a cottage, and her attachment for Sweet Springs led her to reside there permanently.  Miss Harwood is renowned as a hostess and had many Kansas City visitors each year.  Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cary of Kansas City have a Sweet Springs cottage.  Mrs. Cary was a Miss Marmaduke and one of the belles of the Springs. Other cottagers were Judge Henry of Kansas City, Judge Philips of St. Louis, Dr. Brown of St. Louis, Dr. Morrison Munford of Kansas City, and Dr. Laws, President of the Missouri University.  Mr. and Mrs. Walton Holmes spent much time there in the Philips cottage, for Mrs. Holmes was one the pretty dark-eyed Philips girls.

Dancing was the principal amusement of the young people, and there was a ‘hop’ every night and a ball each Saturday night.  As the Missouri Pacific seldom got the Saturday night crowd in before ten p.m. – it was rather annoying, but the young people didn’t care.  The girls strolled about the galleries and croquet grounds until the train came, bringing the brightest and bravest of lads from St. Louis, Kansas City, and the smaller towns; then they danced until three in the morning and were often up at six for a horseback ride.  Between these dances there was plenty of time for love-making, and many famous Missouri matches were made in Sweet Springs.  Harry Duke met Miss Eva Gentry first at Sweet Springs, and Miss Gentry is now Mrs. Henry Duke.  The Gentry girls contributed much to the life of the Springs.  There were four of them, but Eva was the most beautiful.  They were all popular and at least two of them met their husbands at Sweet Springs.  The other three are now Mrs. Skinner of St. Louis, Mrs. Shelton, and Mrs. Will Cloney.

Sweet Springs had its ‘Lovers’ Walk’ and its proposal drive.  The drive led to the Sulphur Springs, five miles away (going) and forty miles (coming back).  Down this drive drove Fannie Waddell and William Barton, to return a few hours later affianced.  Mrs. E.B. Wingate was another of the Waddell girls who met her husband at Sweet Springs.  Miss Ely of St. Joseph met her husband, Mr. Parry, there, and Judge O.M. Spencer met his wife, Miss Turner, while visiting there.  Another well-known Sweet Springs engagement was that of Howard McCreary and Miss Nuckels.

The greatest belle ever at the Springs was beautiful Cora Baker of St. Louis.  Miss Baker was a golden-haired blond with brown eyes, a perfect dancer who had admirers by the score, and who, it is claimed, refused more eligible offers than any girl in the state.  Miss Baker was sometimes accompanied by her half-sister, Miss Ridenbaugh of St. Louis, now Mrs. Joseph L. Bird of Kansas City, another very popular girl.

Judge John C. Gage met his wife, Miss Ida Bailey, in the maple shaded walks of the Springs.  Mrs. Gage’s chum, Anna May Fox, now Mrs. Osborne of Denver, was a popular girl.

Other popular families were the Chappell's of Kansas City; Judge J.J. Lindley’s of St. Louis; Congressman E.C. Moore's, Columbia; the Shephard Barclay’s, St. Louis; Judge Valliant's family, St. Louis; S.H.H. Clark, St. Louis; Dr. and Mrs. W.S. Woods, Kansas City; Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Wilson, Kansas City; the W.B. Farr’s, St. Louis; and Dr. Maugh’s, St. Louis.  Dr. Maugh’s niece, Miss Overall, met and married Dr. Will Tyree of Kansas City.  Among the Boonville families were the John Elliotts, and Texas sent Judge Clark’s family each year.  The Major’s of Sedalia were visitors; Judge Wood and Miss Maria Wood came from Lexington, the Hockaday’s and the Rollins’s from Columbia.

The beaux were legion.  Only the very poplar ones are remembered.  There were Will Stark, John Ried, Billy Crawford, Major Henning, John Barrett, W.J. Ward and Conway Holmes.  The Craig Rifles, the pride of Kansas City, went to Sweet Springs for their camp, and the Bar Association met there each year.

Many laughable incidents occurred to break the monotony of the summer sun.  Sweet Spring had two magnificent marble bathing pools, one for the beaux and one for the belles.  Many cosmetics were used in the eighties, and some of the Sweet Springs beauties had their facies well covered with liquid rouge and whitening.  The water in the pools was clear and blue; it looked like the ocean, but it was piped five miles from the Sulphur Springs.  One of the visiting girls, a Miss Fannie Bayless, who was exceedingly pretty without rouge indulged in it very freely, then took a plunge in the pool with disastrous results.  She emerged copper colored.

The other young women scrubbed and scrubbed, but it did no good.  Wrapping Miss Bayless in veils and scarves, they escorted her to the hotel where somehow she lost her tint.  A few years later Miss Bayless married a Baron of Wurtemburg, and is now lady-in-waiting to the reigning duchess.  It is to be hoped that she avoids Sulphur baths.

The gowns and frocks were feminine and frivolous.  It was the day of the full skirt and tight sleeve and gauze-like materials.  The waltz was the “smart” dance, and “Auf Wiederschen” was the favorite waltz.  Golf was unheard of, and tennis and croquet held sway.  Horseback riding and driving were the principal pleasures of the evening.  One of the excitements of the day was the arrival of the bus, which was always met by an escort of seven-eighths of the population, for each newcomer had to be greeted or inspected.”

Knowing who wrote this article would be nice, but it is not very likely we’ll ever know—unless someone, somewhere, turns-up some obscure manuscript record containing that author’s identity.

Senator George Graham Vest Cottage Image from 1913 Postcard

Completed in 1884.  Destroyed by fire in 1923.