Hot Springs National Park has a rich history. The park has prehistoric American Indian novaculite quarries. It was the destination of the Dunbar-Hunter Expedition sent by President Jefferson in 1804. A bustling town grew up around the hot springs to provide services for health seekers. Central to the American Spa was the bathing industry. The Public Health Service Clinic that was in conjunction with the Government Free Bathhouse was one of the first facilities in the United States to use penicillin.

A Brief History of Hot Springs National Park (Word document)

Bathhouse Row

Read about the role of African Americans in the bathing industry. These are excerpts from an interactive kiosk program at the park visitor center. You can purchase the entire program from the park's Eastern National store.

Below are some free resources you can download. They are in .pdf format unless otherwise noted. You need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read them. 
-African Americans and the Hot Springs Baths
-American Indians at Hot Springs National Park
-Hot Springs National Park Through the Years: A Chronology of Events-Excerpts-36 pp, 407 kb
(The complete version is available through the Eastern National store)
-The Forgotten Expedition of Dunbar and Hunter
-The Oertel System of Graduated Exercise
-Whittington Park
-The Remarkable Therapy Machines of Dr. Gustav Zander

Check out the "Frequently Asked Questions."