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 100th 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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