What makes Hot Springs so special?
Although Hot Springs is a quaint little town nestled in the Ouachita
(pronounced wash-it-aw) Mountains, its past is very colored, to say
the least.
These not-so-well-known facts reveal the good and
the bad of a town with character – a town that brought us an
American president….. and more.
Doc Smith’s Humor
and History of Hot Springs:
- 53 blocks of our finest buildings were destroyed by fire in
1913.
- The White Socks Baseball Club had a farm team here for many
years called the “Hot Springs Bathers.”
- An 11 acre compound operated by the government for venereal
diseases was located in the Gorge.
- Tommy Freeman, the boxer who fought Jack Dempsey for the world
Championship, lived here.
- The National Arthritis foundation is located here.
- Walgreen's second store was built here.
- Oral Roberts started his evangelistic program here.
- Al Jolson, the famous black-face comedian, married a girl from
here.
- Some horse trainers ship Mountain Valley Spring water from here
for their horses.
- A fish weighing 95 pounds, an Isralie Carp, was caught here in
Lake Hamilton recently.
- The Japanese once had a plant here with 23 employees for
processing crystals.
- A fine young married couple lost $23,000.00 at the races. (where
did they get that kind of money?) She was employed by a bank
and he by a large company. They both went to the pen.
- Jo Ann Castle, famous with the Lawrence Welk Show, lived here
and owned a house. Why would she move?
Dr.
Rando P.h.D. of Wit |