The Continuing Mystery Of The Grotto At Lovers Retreat

On Wednesday I blogged about the Mystery of the Grottos at Lovers Retreat in Mineral Wells.

With the mystery being where is this intriguing looking grotto and does it still exist or is it under the water of Mineral Wells Lake?

Yesterday the mystery was at least partially solved by my newest Facebook Friend, Sherry B.

Sherry B commented the following...

"How interesting! I was looking for it too. I live in Weatherford and run a website about all the attractions & events in Parker & Palo Pinto, so this is something I've wanted to find. I did some research today and turns out; the location is 4 miles outside of the town of Palo Pinto. It is now private and is no longer accessible to visitors. The main clue to the exact location says that the property is located just to the North of where the highway crosses Eagle Creek. Too bad it's not public anymore. I would LOVE to explore it!"

Sherry B pointed me towards several interesting photos of the Grotto at Lovers Retreat. One is a current day look at the scene in the above old postcard.

Another of the Sherry B photos is another old postcard of Lovers Retreat.

On the postcard it says, "New Suspension Bridge at Lover's Retreat near Mineral Wells, Texas. The South's Greatest Health Resort."

Note the use of an apostrophe before the 's' in Lovers. In the previous blogging about Lovers Retreat we learned that one of the versions of the reason for the name was it was named after a guy, last name of Lovers, with no apostrophe needed before the 's', but with one maybe needed after the 's'. Maybe Lovers Retreat is like Devils Tower and Pikes Peak, where the apostrophe indicating a possessive noun is discarded. The apostrophe controversy just adds to the mystery.

The other apostrophe version has the grotto named after a pair of Indian lovers, which would make the name Lover's Retreat.

The final picture is the modern day look at the now old New Suspension Bridge. If this used to be the South's Greatest Health Resort, why is it not accessible to today's public who want to be healthy?

I think Sherry B and I should sneak on to this private property and check out the Grotto at Lovers Retreat. If anyone sees us we can hide in one of the caves. That works out well about half the time.

The Legends Of The Grottos On Lovers' Retreat In Mineral Wells Texas

This morning Betty Jo Bouvier, the Wild Woman of Woolley, asked me what I knew about Crazy Water. I was surprised that somehow Betty Jo had heard about the special water that comes from Mineral Wells.

Back on November 28, 2009 I blogged about Crazy Water after I heard from the Famous Mineral Water Company via a Twitter Tweet from @lovecrazywater.

Betty Jo, asking about Crazy Water, put me in mind of Mineral Wells and an old postcard I'd found titled "The Grottoes on Lovers' Retreat, Mineral Wells, Texas."

I assumed that the Lovers' Retreat Grotto must have existed prior to the building of Mineral Wells Dam, which created Mineral Wells Lake, and was now under water. My assumption was wrong.

I do not know where, in Mineral Wells, Lovers' Retreat is located. Here's a blurb I found about this grotto, "Lovers' Retreat has long been one of the most picturesque locations in the county (Palo Pinto) and has been a favorite recreation spot since people have lived in the area. The huge rocks that jut from the earth and numerous ledges and naturally occurring caves contribute to the scenery of the place."

I could find no photos of Lovers' Retreat, which has me thinking my initial assumption may have been correct. Where Mineral Wells Lake and Mineral Wells State Park now exist, there are steep cliffs in an area called Penitentiary Hollow. I imagine the gorge, that the dam dammed, had steep cliffs.

There are two versions of why the Grottos on Lovers' Retreat are so-named.

One version has an early Palo Pinto settler, last name of Lovers, being chased by Indians. Lovers hid in one of the grotto's caves til the Indians gave up looking for him. When Lovers got back to civilization and told his tale, ever after, the grotto had Lovers' name attached to it.

The other version is an Indian legend with 2 versions and it involves actual lovers. The father of an Indian maiden insisted she marry the son of another tribe's chief. But, she was in love with a brave from her own tribe. The day before she was to be married, the maiden eloped with her brave. Her dad then sent out a pack of warriors to catch the pair. They hid out in one of the grotto's caves. When the warriors reached the caves a Medicine Man warned that the caves were haunted by evil spirits. So, they left. The Indian maiden and her brave emerged from the cave and lived in the grotto area for years, eventually joining another tribe and living happily ever after.

In the second version the warrior search party found the hiding lovers, killed the brave. And then, as they were dragging the maiden back to her dad, she broke free and jumped to her death off a 40 foot cliff.

Anyone out there know where the Grottos at Lovers' Retreat are located in Mineral Wells? I think I can eliminate the Baker Hotel as a possible location.