Something in the water
In the 1820s, Dr. Christopher Columbus Graham, a Transylvania University graduate, built the Graham Springs Hotel, a resort and spa overlooking the town of Harrodsburg. Graham believed the minerals infused in the nearby natural spring held healing powers, attracting guests from all over the country to “take the waters” for relief of their ailments. He also knew the importance of exercise, and his resort offered a plethora of ways to get his guests moving. A favorite was the almost nightly dancing in the resort’s ballroom, where romance was almost always in the air.
In the early 1840s, a charming mystery woman reportedly arrived at the hotel only to meet her demise during the last dance of her one-night stay. To this day, the question of her identity has not been answered, and her grave is still tended on the grounds of Youngs Park, where the hotel formerly stood. Legend has it that her ghost can sometimes be seen wandering about on a moonlit night.
It was this story that enticed rural Kentucky author Ann H. Gabhart to write a historical romance novel, The Pursuit of Elena Bradford, set at the Graham Springs resort.
Women in the 1840s had few opportunities beyond making a favorable marriage and then raising children. Without the support of a husband, an aging single woman was destined to rely on extended family to provide for her needs. It was of utmost importance to marry well, and love was not always considered a requirement.
Such is the case for Elena Bradford, an independent and talented artist who is nearing the prospect of spinsterhood. Confounding her situation is the untimely death of her father, whose legacy is a mountain of debt that falls to Elena’s mother to repay. Having no means to do so, the widow deems Elena the family’s ticket out of poverty and ruin if she can only secure a wealthy husband.
So Elena finds herself spending the summer with her mother and sister at the socially affluent Graham Springs Hotel, where the matchmaking begins. Never believing she was much of a catch, Elena is surprised to find herself the object of more than one suitor. Will she be forced to marry for money? Is love something only to be dreamt of and never found?
Unlikely heroes emerge when a tragedy occurs at the hotel, and Elena must summon all the courage she has, learning much about herself in the process and painting her future into a masterpiece.
Graham Springs was known as “the Saratoga of the West,” and some physicians claimed taking the spa’s waters could help or cure a variety of ailments, author Ann H. Gabhart found in her research. In 1853, the hotel was sold to the U.S. government to be used as a military asylum. Three years later, the main building burned with the remaining buildings being used as a hospital.
The Pursuit of Elena Bradford, (Revell, $18.99) is available at www.bakerpublishinggroup.com or major book retailers. Connect with the author at www.AnnHGabhart.com.
