A Baseball Story – Babe Ruth in the Lakes Region

 

A Baseball Story – Babe Ruth in the Lakes Region 

By Mike Moffett

Of all the glittering lights in the constellation of American sports stars, none shines more brightly than Babe Ruth’s.

George Herman Ruth’s prodigious pitching talent helped propel the Boston Red Sox to three World Series titles in 1915, 1916 and 1918. Of course, it was as a New York Yankee outfielder that the Babe became a larger-than-life legend, hitting hundreds of home runs while leading the Yankees to seven World Series from 1921 to 1932.

But the Babe also had star quality. He lived large. He traveled the world. He was in the movies. He personified the American Dream, escaping from deep poverty—and a Baltimore reform school—to scale the heights of riches and fame.

When screaming Japanese soldiers charged United States Marine positions on Pacific islands during World War II, they cursed Babe Ruth in English. What better way to show contempt for America?

While certainly a hero, the Babe was very human. His legend also includes stories of overconsumption and promiscuity that somehow further enhances his legend. While the Christy Mathewsons and Lou Gehrigs of the baseball world were saintly, Ruth was a big-hearted figure of excess to whom fans could more easily relate.

The Babe was truly larger than life.

The Babe in New Hampshire

As a Red Sox star, Ruth inevitably spent considerable time in the Granite State. He’d sometimes visit the Draper and Maynard sporting goods factory in Plymouth. The old D&M building on Plymouth’s North Main Street is now owned by Plymouth State University and one can find wonderful photos there of the Babe visiting that town over a century ago.

But lesser known Ruthian tales tie him in to New Hampshire’s Lakes Region as well. Mike Hatch of Bristol recently shared family stories of the Babe hanging out in places like Meredith and Center Harbor—stories that are too good to not finally share.

Now 80 years old, Hatch spoke of the Babe’s influence on his own family—further underscoring Ruth’s lingering “larger-than-life” persona.

“My grandmother and a relative of Ruth’s were college roommates,” claimed Hatch. “They eventually got jobs at a bar near Fenway Park back when Babe was playing in Boston.”

Hatch explained that Ruth spent much time at that tavern, just before Prohibition.

“I know this might shock you, but the Babe loved to drink,” said Hatch with a smile.

Hatch shared numerous stories of the Babe cavorting around Lake Winnipesaukee, some of which are fit for print—others, not so much.

“Years ago, a guy from upstate New York contacted me out of the blue and asked me if I was Mike Hatch and if Leon Hatch was my father,” recalled Mike. “I said yes, why?”

The New Yorker explained that his own grandfather once lived in the Lakes Region and knew some Hatch family members. That grandfather used to take him to a big hotel in Center Harbor, a well-known place that catered to big shots, to include European royalty. That sounded plausible. Lake Winnipesaukee has long been a destination for the rich and famous. And a big shot who was a regular visitor was Babe Ruth.

“The guy who called me said his grandfather knew a lot of people from around Lake Winnipesaukee and they all looked forward to Ruth’s regular visits. When Ruth came up to New Hampshire he’d bring bags of candy for the children. They’d follow him around as though he was the Pied Piper.”

That sure sounds like Ruth’s modus operandi.

The New Yorker spoke of his own grandfather’s place on Badger Hill that was a great site for snow sledding. It even had a ski jump.

“The Babe loved to come up and go snow sliding with the youngsters. He was like a big kid. And he loved going out on the Winnipesaukee ice to fish with all kinds of local folks. He loved having fun. And there was another big hotel in Meredith where he’d often hang out.”

Supposedly, the Babe had a Winnipesaukee love interest. That’s plausible. Local love interest(s) may help account for his many visits here. Subsequent speculation on that subject prompted me to visit Wikipedia.

The Babe’s Many Loves

Ruth’s Red Sox debut was in July of 1914. He soon met a waitress named Helen Woodford at a luncheonette near Fenway Park. On October 17 of that year the 19-year-old Ruth married the 16-year-old Woodford at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Ellicott City, Maryland, where Ruth had attended boarding school.

The Babe and Helen moved to New York when Ruth was sold to the Yankees before the 1920 season. On September 23, 1922, the couple introduced their 16-month-old daughter Dorothy to the public. That the couple had a daughter was a surprise to most. But that was before the information age.

Now we know that Dorothy was born June 7, 1921, in New York City at St. Vincent's Hospital to Juanita Jennings and she was later adopted by the Babe and Helen. Dorothy was raised believing Helen to be her biological mother. Helen may not have known that Dorothy was the result of an extramarital affair between Babe and his girlfriend Jennings. Many think that when Ruth learned of his mistress' pregnancy, he convinced Helen—unaware that Babe was the father—to adopt the baby girl, with Jennings’ acquiescence.

Ruth’s marriage would be a casualty of his celebrity and excesses. Helen moved back to Massachusetts, but the couple never divorced due to their Catholicism. Helen died in a mysterious housefire in January of 1929. Ruth then married Claire Hodgson just before the opening day of the 1929 baseball season. (He hit a home run in his first at-bat that season against the Red Sox.) Ruth soon adopted Claire’s daughter Julia, while Claire adopted Dorothy in 1930. They all lived together, with Claire’s extended family, in an apartment on West 88th Street.

Claire died in 1976. Dorothy passed away in 1989. Julia died in 2019 at the age of 102. Having lived for many of her later years in Conway, N.H., she died a Red Sox fan. She actually threw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game at Fenway Park to celebrate her 100^th birthday in July 2016.

Which all brings us back to the Babe and Lake Winnipesaukee.

Ruth Loved Lake Winnipesaukee

In chatting with Hatch about the Babe’s many trips here I was struck by how little people knew about his Winnipesaukee connection.

“Think about Big Papi or Mookie Betts coming up here regularly to have fun,” I said. “Can you imagine the publicity?”

I lamented that there were no photos from those days to help document Ruth’s love for this area.

“But there are!” said Hatch.

“You’re kidding!”

“I’ll share a few.”

Mike unearthed a special calendar which featured 12 Babe Ruth photos, one for each month, courtesy of the Lewis R. Moulton collection. Five of these photos accompany this feature. The youngster in the Red Sox uniform is Mike Hatch’s father, Leon. The uniform was a gift from Babe Ruth himself. It’s not clear whether any of the females is Ruth’s wife Helen. The photos were taken circa 1917 when Helen would have only been around 19 years old.

Babe Ruth passed away in 1948, only 53 years old, ravaged by throat cancer. As with any super-celebrity, stories abounded about his personal life. Separating fact from fiction is difficult. And while Ruth relished the spotlight, many of his friends and family preferred privacy.

Two weeks before her death in 1980, Juanita Jennings told Dorothy Ruth that she (Juanita) was Dorothy’s real mother. Later, according to a 1988 New York Times story—published a year before her death—Dorothy claimed that Ruth had 15 descendants, none of whom played baseball. Clearly the Bambino had numerous relationships and love interests around the country, including New Hampshire. It’s only natural to contemplate Ruth’s descendants walking amongst us.

What we do know for sure is that 100 years ago, in 1923, after Ruth’s visits to Lake Winnipesaukee ceased, he led the New York Yankees to their first World Series triumph.

And we also know that his light in that constellation of American sports stars still shines as brightly as ever.

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