Spindletop Hall, Inc. is a 501(c)7 Private Club formed for the social and recreational benefit of University of Kentucky Faculty, Staff, Alumni, and all persons belonging to the University of Kentucky Alumni Association. 

The History of Spindletop Hall

On November 13, 1925, Miles Frank Yount struck oil at the Spindletop field in Beaumont, Texas. The fields, which had been dormant since the early 1900’s, produced over 340,000 barrels of oil an acre per year, pumping in excess of 50 million barrels within 5 years.  Now financially secure, Miles Frank and wife Pansy established a stable of American Saddlebred horses, quickly becoming recognized as a leader in the industry. On November 13, 1933, almost 8 years to the day after Spindletop’s second discovery, Miles Frank Yount died of a heart attack at age 53. Left as the beneficiary of great wealth, Pansy Bernadette Merritt Yount chose Kentucky as the place she would start anew.  Spindletop Farm was established in 1935 on 800 acres of land. At a cost of one million dollars, construction of Spindletop Hall began in 1935 and took two years to complete. Mrs. Yount deemed the house to be a showplace of Kentucky, a modern mansion of classical architecture.  When completed, the mansion housed 40 rooms, each with its own thermostat, 14 bathrooms, 133 fullsize exterior and interior doors, 102 windows with screens of copper, and 11 fireplaces. There is over 45,000 square feet of floor space. At the time of construction, the circular staircase and the 30X60 foot living room were the largest in Kentucky. Eventually, Mrs. Yount expanded the farm to 1,066 acres. On the property were seven miles of metal fences, 17 houses for servants and farm hands, and 18 barns. There was a greenhouse, swimming pool, bath house, tennis court, two aviaries, and three kennels. Pansy Yount lived at Spindletop with her adopted daughter, Mildred Frank Yount, and horse trainer and later third husband William Cape "Capers" Grant. She was considered “new money” by the Kentucky Blue Bloods and was never accepted into their social circle. After divorcing Mr. Grant, Pansy left Spindletop in 1955.  read more