Hot Springs Histories
@hshistories.bsky.social
Uncovering the true stories of America's original Sin City. If you think you know Hot Springs, think again. ♨️ Get the full story: www.hotspringshistories.com
BIG NEWS! 🔥 I'm officially going into "production mode" for the rest of the year to build a backlog for a massive 2026. Weekly articles are paused, but I'm not disappearing!
Get ready for the grand relaunch with new articles, videos, and podcasts in January! #Announcement #ComingSoon
Get ready for the grand relaunch with new articles, videos, and podcasts in January! #Announcement #ComingSoon
September 24, 2025 at 3:18 PM
BIG NEWS! 🔥 I'm officially going into "production mode" for the rest of the year to build a backlog for a massive 2026. Weekly articles are paused, but I'm not disappearing!
Get ready for the grand relaunch with new articles, videos, and podcasts in January! #Announcement #ComingSoon
Get ready for the grand relaunch with new articles, videos, and podcasts in January! #Announcement #ComingSoon
1/3: 🚨 NEW ARTICLE 🚨 In 1877 Hot Springs, newspaper editor Charles Matthews publicly criticized Mayor T.F. Linde. The mayor's response was... unconventional. He shot him. On the main street. In broad daylight.
September 10, 2025 at 1:45 PM
1/3: 🚨 NEW ARTICLE 🚨 In 1877 Hot Springs, newspaper editor Charles Matthews publicly criticized Mayor T.F. Linde. The mayor's response was... unconventional. He shot him. On the main street. In broad daylight.
1/2: From the archives: A vintage ad for what is, in my biased opinion, the best water on the planet—Mountain Valley. Bottled in Hot Springs since 1871! #HotSprings
September 8, 2025 at 1:15 PM
1/2: From the archives: A vintage ad for what is, in my biased opinion, the best water on the planet—Mountain Valley. Bottled in Hot Springs since 1871! #HotSprings
Then & Now: The U.S. Army and Navy General Hospital (ca. 1887). For nearly a century, it was a place of healing for American soldiers. Today, it's the Arkansas Career Training Institute. An incredible piece of Hot Springs history still watching over the city. #HotSprings #ArkansasHistory #ThenAndNow
September 7, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Then & Now: The U.S. Army and Navy General Hospital (ca. 1887). For nearly a century, it was a place of healing for American soldiers. Today, it's the Arkansas Career Training Institute. An incredible piece of Hot Springs history still watching over the city. #HotSprings #ArkansasHistory #ThenAndNow
Reminder that during the Gilded Age in Hot Springs, one of the main tourist attractions was an Ostrich Farm where you could ride them.
The past was a very, very strange place.
#HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas #WeirdHistory
The past was a very, very strange place.
#HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas #WeirdHistory
September 6, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Reminder that during the Gilded Age in Hot Springs, one of the main tourist attractions was an Ostrich Farm where you could ride them.
The past was a very, very strange place.
#HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas #WeirdHistory
The past was a very, very strange place.
#HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas #WeirdHistory
FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS:
1/2: Meet the "Arlington Gang" - the railroad tycoon, the church-goer, and the boss gambler who ran Hot Springs.
1/2: Meet the "Arlington Gang" - the railroad tycoon, the church-goer, and the boss gambler who ran Hot Springs.
September 4, 2025 at 12:23 PM
FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS:
1/2: Meet the "Arlington Gang" - the railroad tycoon, the church-goer, and the boss gambler who ran Hot Springs.
1/2: Meet the "Arlington Gang" - the railroad tycoon, the church-goer, and the boss gambler who ran Hot Springs.
1/3: The story of Hot Springs is always about the rich & famous. But who actually did the work? Our new article, "We Bathe the World," tells the story of the unseen laborers who built the American Spa. #HotSpringsHistory
September 3, 2025 at 12:05 PM
1/3: The story of Hot Springs is always about the rich & famous. But who actually did the work? Our new article, "We Bathe the World," tells the story of the unseen laborers who built the American Spa. #HotSpringsHistory
Happy Labor Day from Hot Springs!
Today, we’re honoring the unseen army of attendants, builders, and porters who built the “American Spa.” Our new article this Wednesday tells their incredible story.
#LaborDay #HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas
Today, we’re honoring the unseen army of attendants, builders, and porters who built the “American Spa.” Our new article this Wednesday tells their incredible story.
#LaborDay #HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas
September 1, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Happy Labor Day from Hot Springs!
Today, we’re honoring the unseen army of attendants, builders, and porters who built the “American Spa.” Our new article this Wednesday tells their incredible story.
#LaborDay #HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas
Today, we’re honoring the unseen army of attendants, builders, and porters who built the “American Spa.” Our new article this Wednesday tells their incredible story.
#LaborDay #HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas
You know the beautiful promenade in front of Bathhouse Row? In the 1880s, it was an open sewer called Hot Springs Creek. 🤢
They literally paved over it. Just another wild chapter in Spa City history.
#HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas #GildedAge
They literally paved over it. Just another wild chapter in Spa City history.
#HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas #GildedAge
August 31, 2025 at 12:39 PM
You know the beautiful promenade in front of Bathhouse Row? In the 1880s, it was an open sewer called Hot Springs Creek. 🤢
They literally paved over it. Just another wild chapter in Spa City history.
#HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas #GildedAge
They literally paved over it. Just another wild chapter in Spa City history.
#HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas #GildedAge
Quote of the Day from our new article: “In 1899, the Hot Springs Police Dept and the County Sheriff's Office had a full-blown gun battle in the street over who got to control the gambling money. The Police Chief was killed.” Unbelievable. #History #TrueCrime #Arkansas
August 21, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Quote of the Day from our new article: “In 1899, the Hot Springs Police Dept and the County Sheriff's Office had a full-blown gun battle in the street over who got to control the gambling money. The Police Chief was killed.” Unbelievable. #History #TrueCrime #Arkansas
2/3: A trip to Hot Springs meant surviving a gauntlet.
1. The Trail: Where the James-Younger Gang waited to rob your stagecoach.
2. The Station: Where con artists & "doctor drummers" preyed on the sick.
3. The Street: Where the local lawmen were fighting their own turf wars.
1. The Trail: Where the James-Younger Gang waited to rob your stagecoach.
2. The Station: Where con artists & "doctor drummers" preyed on the sick.
3. The Street: Where the local lawmen were fighting their own turf wars.
August 20, 2025 at 12:15 PM
2/3: A trip to Hot Springs meant surviving a gauntlet.
1. The Trail: Where the James-Younger Gang waited to rob your stagecoach.
2. The Station: Where con artists & "doctor drummers" preyed on the sick.
3. The Street: Where the local lawmen were fighting their own turf wars.
1. The Trail: Where the James-Younger Gang waited to rob your stagecoach.
2. The Station: Where con artists & "doctor drummers" preyed on the sick.
3. The Street: Where the local lawmen were fighting their own turf wars.
Arriving in 19th-century Hot Springs wasn't the end of your perilous journey—it was the beginning. This Wednesday, we explore the con men, crooked cops, and gunslingers who made the "Valley of Vapors" a true Wild West town. #History #TrueCrime #Arkansas
August 19, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Arriving in 19th-century Hot Springs wasn't the end of your perilous journey—it was the beginning. This Wednesday, we explore the con men, crooked cops, and gunslingers who made the "Valley of Vapors" a true Wild West town. #History #TrueCrime #Arkansas
Forget Florida. The OG Spring Training spot was Hot Springs, AR. ⚾ Legends like Babe Ruth & Honus Wagner came to "boil out the winter" in the thermal baths and train on the mountain trails. It was the birthplace of the "First Boys of Spring." #BaseballHistory #Arkansas
August 18, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Forget Florida. The OG Spring Training spot was Hot Springs, AR. ⚾ Legends like Babe Ruth & Honus Wagner came to "boil out the winter" in the thermal baths and train on the mountain trails. It was the birthplace of the "First Boys of Spring." #BaseballHistory #Arkansas
The Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs has seen it all. Presidents, baseball legends, Al Capone... The first two versions burned down, but the third has stood as the city's crown jewel since the 1920s. It’s the epicenter of Spa City history. 🏨 #HotSprings #ArkansasHistory
August 17, 2025 at 12:57 PM
The Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs has seen it all. Presidents, baseball legends, Al Capone... The first two versions burned down, but the third has stood as the city's crown jewel since the 1920s. It’s the epicenter of Spa City history. 🏨 #HotSprings #ArkansasHistory
Before Florida and Arizona, MLB spring training happened in Hot Springs, AR. Legends like Babe Ruth came to "boil out the winter" in the thermal baths and hit legendary home runs—one supposedly landed in an alligator farm. ⚾ #BaseballHistory #HotSpringsHistory
August 16, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Before Florida and Arizona, MLB spring training happened in Hot Springs, AR. Legends like Babe Ruth came to "boil out the winter" in the thermal baths and hit legendary home runs—one supposedly landed in an alligator farm. ⚾ #BaseballHistory #HotSpringsHistory
The free article told the story of the spa war. The paid article is a deep-dive into the winning weapon: The Fordyce Bathhouse. 🏛️
August 14, 2025 at 12:28 PM
The free article told the story of the spa war. The paid article is a deep-dive into the winning weapon: The Fordyce Bathhouse. 🏛️
Before Bathhouse Row was a row of palaces, it was a bunch of tinderboxes waiting for a spark. The spark came in 1878.
Tomorrow, we're telling the story of how fire, floods, and furious egos accidentally created an American masterpiece. #HotSpringsHistory #ArkansasHistory
Tomorrow, we're telling the story of how fire, floods, and furious egos accidentally created an American masterpiece. #HotSpringsHistory #ArkansasHistory
August 12, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Before Bathhouse Row was a row of palaces, it was a bunch of tinderboxes waiting for a spark. The spark came in 1878.
Tomorrow, we're telling the story of how fire, floods, and furious egos accidentally created an American masterpiece. #HotSpringsHistory #ArkansasHistory
Tomorrow, we're telling the story of how fire, floods, and furious egos accidentally created an American masterpiece. #HotSpringsHistory #ArkansasHistory
In the 19th century, "taking the waters" in Hot Springs wasn't a luxury; it was medicine. Doctors prescribed bathing regimens to cure everything from arthritis to alcoholism. This belief in a water-based miracle cure built an entire city. #HotSpringsHistory #MedicalHistory
August 11, 2025 at 12:12 PM
In the 19th century, "taking the waters" in Hot Springs wasn't a luxury; it was medicine. Doctors prescribed bathing regimens to cure everything from arthritis to alcoholism. This belief in a water-based miracle cure built an entire city. #HotSpringsHistory #MedicalHistory
Meet Owney "The Killer" Madden, one of NYC's most feared gang bosses. Where did he choose to retire? Not Florida. Hot Springs, Arkansas.
He moved there, married the postmaster's daughter, and became a respected local. A wild chapter in the city's history. #HotSpringsHistory #GangsterHistory
He moved there, married the postmaster's daughter, and became a respected local. A wild chapter in the city's history. #HotSpringsHistory #GangsterHistory
August 10, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Meet Owney "The Killer" Madden, one of NYC's most feared gang bosses. Where did he choose to retire? Not Florida. Hot Springs, Arkansas.
He moved there, married the postmaster's daughter, and became a respected local. A wild chapter in the city's history. #HotSpringsHistory #GangsterHistory
He moved there, married the postmaster's daughter, and became a respected local. A wild chapter in the city's history. #HotSpringsHistory #GangsterHistory
The Arlington Hotel: Then & Now.
The original Victorian beauty burned down in 1923. The icon that stands today rose from its ashes just a year later. A true Hot Springs legend. #ThenAndNow #History #Arkansas #HotSprings
The original Victorian beauty burned down in 1923. The icon that stands today rose from its ashes just a year later. A true Hot Springs legend. #ThenAndNow #History #Arkansas #HotSprings
August 9, 2025 at 12:08 PM
The Arlington Hotel: Then & Now.
The original Victorian beauty burned down in 1923. The icon that stands today rose from its ashes just a year later. A true Hot Springs legend. #ThenAndNow #History #Arkansas #HotSprings
The original Victorian beauty burned down in 1923. The icon that stands today rose from its ashes just a year later. A true Hot Springs legend. #ThenAndNow #History #Arkansas #HotSprings
May she stand tall in the face of current tyranny and come out stronger on the other side. Here's my fervent hope: This will NOT be America's last Independence Day! #fourthofjuly #IndependenceDay
July 4, 2025 at 2:18 PM
May she stand tall in the face of current tyranny and come out stronger on the other side. Here's my fervent hope: This will NOT be America's last Independence Day! #fourthofjuly #IndependenceDay