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Garland County Historical Society

Name: Garland County Historical Society
Address: 328 Quapaw Avenue, Hot Springs, AR, 71901, US
Telephone: (501) 321-2159
Rating: 4.7

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Garland County Historical Society

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The Garland County Historical Society was founded in 1960 to preserve the history of Garland County.
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10/28/2026

Cruising Prospect Avenue (800 block) on a sunny day in Hot Springs in a convertible!
Ca 1940.
The house in about the center of the photo remains today.

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10/27/2026

Jack Dempsey and his movie star wife, Estelle Taylor ( #2 of 4), leaving Hot Springs after a short visit and holiday in 1926. He was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. It was reported he was in Hot Springs due to negotiations involving the upcoming Dempsey-Tunney Title fight.

In September 1926, Dempsey fought Gene Tunney in Philadelphia. The match ended in an upset, with Dempsey losing his title on points in 10 rounds. When the defeated Dempsey returned to his dressing room, he explained his loss to his wife by saying, "Honey, I forgot to duck."

Fifty-five years later President Ronald Reagan borrowed the quote when wife Nancy visited him in the emergency room after he was shot by John Hinkley Jr.
Dempsey's fights set financial and attendance records for the time, including the first $1M gate. He died in 1983.

Photo taken by DeLuxe Studio, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Wikipedia

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10/25/2026

Fordyce Bathhouse excavation for the basement and reservoir circa 1914. Photo includes the throng of sidewalk engineers! The photo of the front foundation wall includes some of the businesses across Central Ave, You see the some of the 300 block, including the Ed Spear building (today's National Park Gifts & Souvenirs) toward the left in the photo. The top of the building to the right is the site of the United States Hotel. (c 1891)

These NPS images are courtesy of Hot Springs National Park!
Thank you HSNP!

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10/24/2026

Native of Hot Springs, Tommy Freeman (1904-1986) was a professional boxer, competing in the 1920's and 30's. He won the Undisputed Welterweight World Championship in 1930 and lost the title the following year. Freeman began his amateur career in boxing around age 16. Turning professional at age 19, he enjoyed a long boxing career and was rated as a top ten welterweight contenders from 1926 to 1931.

After retiring from the ring, Freeman worked for the Hot Springs Fire Department, eventually retiring from that career as well.

Garland County Historical Society publication The Record 1969
Wikipedia, Tommy Freeman

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10/23/2026

The Tower Motel, also known as the Short-Dodson Home, graces 755 Park Ave. and is another Hot Springs historic treasure. Dr. Omar Short had the home constructed between 1901 and 1903. Dr. Short was a specialist in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat in a generation when most doctors were general practionioners. A photo of the structure appears in the 1902 Cutter Guide to Hot Springs. By 1907 Thomas Dodson became the new owner and was succeeded in ownership by his son, Charles, who served 2 terms in the State Legislature. Charles Dodson's daughter, Mrs Anne Dodson Krone, lived there until 1947. The next owners added the court on the side of the property.
"The Short-Dodson House is a rare and important architectural survivor. The magnificent blend of Queen Anne and Chateauesque styling of the house is one of Hot Springs most impressive residential sights."
National Register since 1976

Garland County, Arkansas: Our History and Heritage, I. B. Anthony, Editor. p. 146
Garland County Historical Society publication The Record 1968

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10/21/2026

The Falls of the Ouachita River - Thornton's Mill
This location was listed as 7 miles SW of Hot Springs - a little North of Marzarn Creek.
Thornton Ferry Road was for travelers going west from downtown. (now called Ouachita Ave, Albert Pike, etc) crossing Bull Bayou and proceeded to Thornton's Ferry. The ferry passed over the Ouachita River for passengers who wished to continue on the Old Dallas Road. (Dallas Arkansas was near Mena)
Rates in late 1800's for the Ferry
Footman - 5-10¢
Horse and Man - 25¢
One horse and buggy or wagon - 35¢
Two horse buggy or wagon - 50¢
Four Horse buggy or wagon - 75¢
Horse and cattle in drives - 7.5¢ per head
Hogs and sheep - 2.5¢ per head

This first illustration is titled "Hot Springs as It Was", drawn by Professor D. D. Owen in 1859
Professor Owen was the first State Geologist of Arkansas. He spent some time in our area examining the hot springs and other areas of interest as a geologist.
There were 9 ferries operating on the Ouachita River at this time, plus a couple of crossings and fords. The ferries were Wheeler Ferry, Gibbons Ferry, Thornton Ferry, Gardner/Brown Ferry, Kaiser Ferry, Higdon Ferry, Smith/Clay Ferry, Ralston Ferry and Spurlin's Ferry before the dams were built and the lakes formed.
Garland County, Arkansas: Our History and Heritage, I. B. Anthony, Editor
The Arkansas Historical Quarterly
Vol. 1, No. 2 (Jun., 1942),
Arkansas Historical Association

The postcard entitled Views of Hot Springs, Ark. is the same Thornton Ferry area on the Ouachita River, but may be reversed? Either way, lovely areas on the river, long covered by Lake Hamilton.

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10/20/2026

The Boy Rangers of America in Hot Springs, Arkansas was an active early 20th-century youth outdoor organizations before the official creation of the Boy Scouts of America's Cub Scouting program. We don't have the names or location of this Lodge but lucklily we do have the date 11/28/25. Boy Rangers were typically between ages 8 and 12.

Hot Springs is home to Arkansas' Boy Scout Troop 1, the oldest Boy Scout troop in the state, first chartered in 1921 and sponsored by First Presbyterian Church.

Lower photo:
Some of the unlucky 13 who got caught raiding the old farmer's watermelon patch. while attending Boy Scout Camp at Glazy Peau

Boy Scout Camp in Garland County
Camp Glazy Peau - June 8 - 18
1923
7 large tents were set up on land belonging to W. L. Beaver, who offered the site to officials of the Boy Scout Council.
Tent #1 was named Tuck Me Inn and occupants were Billy Anderson, Mike Reed, William Rigly, Jacob King, Billy Homer, Alfred Williamson, Everett Cotham and Ed Wright.
Tent #2 was named Dew Drop Inn with Robert Smiley, Charles Birnbaum, Murl Beauchamp, Clifton Breckenridge, Wilton O'Neal, William Newsum Tosey Brandenburg and Frank Wright
Tent #7 named Cave Inn housed Bert Hanor, Carl Medlock, J.P. Brown, Edward Walsh, Claude Walsh, John Parse George Callahan and Elmer Biggs.

Regretfully, the other tent names and occupants were not recorded with the photos donated.
Note: Captain George W. Smith, an 82 year old Civil War Vereran, spent the entire 10 days at camp, leading the boys in their morning calesthenics!

Eagle Scouts in those early years included Bert Hanor (1923), Carl Medlock (1924), J.P. Brown and Floyd Clardy (1925)

GCHS Publication The Record 1973
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10/18/2026

As you sit on the veranda of the Majestic Hotel in 1903, you enjoy the view of people coming and going in the boarding house across Park Ave. The livery (to the left) is located on Crystal Street (later renamed Arbor Street).
Originally named the Avenue Hotel, this part of the hotel was built in 1882 and renamed the Majestic in 1888 - which remained the name of this initial part (yellow brick), the annex (red brick) and the towers until closure in 2006.

This photo, taken by an unidentified traveler, was found in an unclaimed scrapbook.

"View from room, looking up Park Avenue" noted another anonymous photographer in this photo. Of course, the room is in the Majestic Hotel, (yellow brick) You can see a little of the front of the St. Charles Hotel looking north, same side of the street as the Majestic. The Waverly Hotel is across the street, further north on Park Avenue with the long straight roof
Circa 1903

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10/17/2026

Central Ave restaurants, stores, bathhouses and hotels were all dressed in flags and bunting to welcome Arkansas's own Senator Joe T Robinson for a campaign visit as he ran for Vice President as the running mate of Al Smith. This rally was August 1928 with speeches delivered from the Arlington veranda.
Smith/Robinson lost to the Herbert Hoover ticket in November.
Joe T. Robinson served as a U.S. Senator (AR), the 23rd Governor of Arkansas, and the first official U.S. Senate Majority Leader. Robinson was the first Arkansan picked to run for a national office.

Garland County Historical Society archives
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10/16/2026

FREE!
Garland County Historical Society has a number of paper issues of the Sentinel-Record and the New Era in bound volumes by month for some years.

If you have a friend or child born during one of the months/years available, it might be a perfect and unusual present - or maybe you just like reading newspapers and turning physical pages. They are entertaining.
So...
If anyone wants any of them or all of them, contact us at [email protected] or 501.321.2159 before the end of the month (10/31/2026).

Free - First come, First served!
Come pick up the monthly bound Hot Springs newspaper books that interest you ASAP at 328 Quapaw Ave., between the hours of 9am-1pm Monday-Friday - before Halloween!

Each month is a separate volume/book.
Bound volumes of Sentinel-Record:
1984 May, July, August, September, October, November, December
1985 January through May, July through December
1986 January through September
1987 January through November
1988 January through October, December
1989 January through December
1990 February, October, December
1991 January through December
1992 January, February, March, May, June, July
1993 January through February, April through December

Bound Volumes of Hot Springs New Era:
1956 February, July, December
1957 February, April, May, July, November
1958 June, September, December
1959 January, March, June, July, August, September, December
1960 February, August

Free! The photo shows what a month of newspaper looks like! Remember, first come gets their choice... no holds.
Thanks!

Address

328 Quapaw Avenue
Hot Springs, AR
71901

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 1pm
Tuesday	9am - 1pm
Wednesday	9am - 1pm
Thursday	9am - 1pm
Friday	9am - 1pm

Telephone

(501) 321-2159

Website

http://www.garlandcountyhistoricalsociety.com/

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