Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of many novels, including The Song of Sourwood Mountain, In the Shadow of the River, When the Meadow Blooms, Along a Storied Trail, An Appalachian Summer, River to Redemption, These Healing Hills, and Angel Sister. She and her husband live on a farm a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Ann enjoys discovering the everyday wonders of nature while hiking in her farm’s fields and woods with her grandchildren and her dogs, Frankie and Marley. Learn more at AnnHGabhart.com.
Ann discusses some of the intriguing historical facts and legends surrounding the setting for her most recent fiction novel.
FF: Please provide a brief summary of your new historical romance novel, The Pursuit of Elena Bradford.
Elena Bradford has not met a man who has made her consider matrimony. She is satisfied with her single life, which gives her time for reading and her art, but after her father’s death leaves the family in dire financial straits, her mother insists that Elena finds a favorable match to rescue them from poverty. Her mother’s plan is to use their last funds to spend the summer at Graham Springs, a hotel resort where the wealthier citizens of Kentucky go for the healing spring water and for the social niceties, such as ballroom dancing, yard games, and various entertainments.
While her mother is lining up wealthy older suitors, Elena is attracted to a down-and-out artist, Kirby Frazier, who has come to Graham Springs to find a rich wife to finance his dream of going west to paint the wonders there. He is not on her mother’s list. Neither is Andrew Harper, who is at the Springs to get over a broken heart. Then a mystery lady appears at the Springs. Elena befriends her, but tragedy strikes during the last dance of the night. Mystery and love chase Elena as she tries to save her family and herself.
FF: Your novel is set in Graham Springs, Kentucky. What drew you to this particular location and era for telling Elena’s story?
Several years ago, I wrote a novel about the Shakers in which I contrasted the Shakers’ simple lifestyle with that of the guests at the nearby springs hotel, where they were treated to all the finer things in life as they “took the water” for whatever ailments they might have had. While researching the springs hotels of that era, I stored away some of that fascinating history for a future someday story. So, when I was searching for a new idea and came across the mystery of the dancing lady, who tragically died during a dance at Graham Springs and whose identity has never been discovered, I had a time and place perfect for Elena’s story.
FF: The practice of visiting mineral springs for health benefits was quite popular during this time period. Can you share some interesting historical details you discovered during your research?
In the 1840s, many resorts sprang up around Kentucky advertising their spring waters as a cure for a variety of ailments, from rheumatism to stomach ailments. In fact, when I was twelve, I attended a 4-H camp located at the site of a former resort, Tatum Springs Hotel. The old hotel had been turned into bunk rooms for the campers. While that springs hotel wasn’t as famous or as elaborate as Graham Springs, I thought of it while researching Graham Springs.
The writer of a 1929 Louisville Courier Journal article boasted that “Graham Springs and Saratoga are the only saline waters of true worth to be found in America. Many have declared it equal to the waters at Baden-Baden.” During its heyday, Graham Springs was considered the Saratoga of the West. I enjoyed finding out more about the owner of Graham Springs, Dr. Christopher Columbus Graham (1784–1885), who was described as a pioneer, visionary, author, antiquarian, architect, collector, historian, physician, raconteur, paleontologist, politician, evolutionist, soldier, businessman, crack shot, silversmith, and theologian. He believed in the healing powers of the spring waters at his hotel as well as the importance of exercise, which was one reason for the ballroom dances and other entertainments.
FF: Graham Springs appears to be quite the social hub in your novel. What kind of activities and entertainments would visitors typically experience at these resort destinations?
“Taking the waters” was a primary focus at the hotels since many patrons were there for some sort of healing, but others came for the social contacts and the pleasurable activities. At Graham Springs, the ballroom dances were a major attraction. Dr. Graham even hired a dancing instructor and intended that his guests take advantage of “the pleasure of the dance.” Activities included backgammon and bridge for the less active. Promenades gave ample opportunity for walks. Musicians played at all times of the day. Battledore (badminton) was a popular pastime, and lawn bowling was a highlight for many guests, including some of my characters. Dr. Graham, a nationally acclaimed offhand rifle champion shot, hosted the Boone Rifle Club. The guests had a shooting range where they could practice, but no one could outshoot Dr. Graham. A challenge was once sent out across the nation offering $10,000 to anyone who could beat Dr. Graham. No one even bothered to try.
FF: Graham Springs represents both healing and new beginnings for your characters. What message do you hope readers take away from this story?
My character Elena dreaded the thought of the new beginning that might await her at Graham Springs, but she was ready to do whatever was needed to “heal” her family’s troubles. Other characters faced similar as well as different needs for healing. I hope readers will see that healing can happen in many ways when one trusts in the Lord, recognizes the basic goodness of people, and then lets their decisions be motivated by love.
FF: Your protagonist Elena Bradford finds herself caught between duty to her family and matters of the heart. How does this reflect the social expectations placed on young women during this time period?
Women in the 1840s had few rights other than the right to make an advantageous marriage. Single women were looked upon with either suspicion or pity. With little opportunity to make her own way, an unmarried woman had to depend on the charity of a male relative to support her. Women were often encouraged to marry well for position or security rather than for love. It was the fortunate young woman who managed to combine those.
FF: Your three main characters, Elena, Kirby, and Andrew, each bring different motivations to Graham Springs. How did you develop their individual storylines while weaving them together?
It helped that they all rode on that same runaway stagecoach to reach Graham Springs. That allowed them to be introduced to each other during a challenging time that revealed their individual personalities. While the hopes and struggles they faced, or at times avoided, were unique to each character, a summer at Graham Springs threw them together in various ways to let them interact.
FF: Your character Kirby Frazier is an artist who draws resort guests. Was this a common profession at mineral springs during this era?
That is something I never really could find in my research, but I did come across sketches of Graham Springs. I feel sure those weren’t unique and that people in the 1840s would enjoy having their good times at the resort preserved in sketches they could keep, the same as we enjoy taking photos of our vacations now. In a previous book, The Seeker, one of my characters was an artist who sketched battle scenes during the War Between the States. So why not have an artist sketch the pleasures of a summer at a Springs Hotel instead of war scenes?
FF: In The Pursuit of Elena Bradford, you introduce a beautiful but mysterious young lady who shows up in Graham Springs without a chaperone. What inspired this plot element?
As I mentioned earlier, the mystery of the dancing lady was the spark of inspiration that led me to Graham Springs for the setting of The Pursuit of Elena Bradford. In the early 1840s, a woman did go to the hotel and charm all the gentlemen at the ballroom dance one evening before dying during the last dance. To this day, no one has discovered her name or the reason for her death, although many stories have circulated about her through the years. One of those is that on moonlit nights, some have reported seeing a ghostly lady in an evening gown near where the woman was buried on the grounds of the hotel. A city park is located there now, but the woman’s grave is still fenced and maintained all these years later.
FF: As someone who lives in rural Kentucky, how does the region’s rich history influence your storytelling?
I have always lived in Kentucky. That may help me create believable characters to drop down into this or that historical time in the state. I like delving into Kentucky’s history to find events or settings that can ignite my imagination and awaken some what-if questions. Every place has its own stories. I try to make those stories come to life through my characters.
FF: What are you working on next?
I am heading back to the Kentucky Appalachian region for a new story. My character Kallie Mae Bertram has a strong desire to learn to read, but she missed out on the opportunity to go to school when she was younger. Then, when her mother died in childbirth, Kallie had to take over caring for the baby and her younger brother. Quinn Spencer lives on the other side of the hill and has his own family obligations that have kept him from school. Their families have been feuding for years, but it could be time for the feud to end when both Kallie and Quinn take advantage of the Moonlight Schools Cora Stewart started in Rowan County to teach adults to read.
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The Pursuit of Elena Bradford
Ann H. Gabhart
Publisher: Revell
Genres: Historical, Romance
Release Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN-10: 0800746260
ISBN-13: 978-0800746261
Book Summary:
At twenty-two, Elena Bradford has never met a man who made her consider marriage. But when her father dies and leaves the family deeply in debt, Elena becomes their only hope. Her mother uses their last funds to take Elena and her younger sister to Graham Springs, Kentucky, where people find healing by drinking the mineral spring water and healthy recreation through the many daily activities–including dances almost every evening.
As her mother schemes to find Elena a wealthy husband, Elena finds herself drawn to two men her mother would never consider. Charming artist Kirby Frazier spends his days drawing and painting the guests, but his real mission is to find a wealthy bride to finance his dream to go west. Melancholy Andrew Harper has come to Graham Springs in need of healing after a broken heart.
When a beautiful young lady shows up at the Springs with no chaperone and a story that seems suspicious, nearly everyone is charmed and intrigued. But when an unexpected tragedy occurs, Elena, Kirby, and Andrew will all be faced with decisions of life, love, and loyalty.
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