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Hugh Hayes; date unknown

Courtesy of Kelly Reese

From Buffalo Soldier to Bath Attendant

Hugh Hayes was a bath attendant at the Lamar Bathhouse and Park Hotel from 1903-1910. On the surface, Hayes’ life in Hot Springs appears like many of the thousands of African American men and women who worked in Hot Springs’ bathhouses.

But when we dig a little deeper, Hayes’ life was anything but ordinary. As a private in the 10th Cavalry Regiment, he was a Buffalo Soldier, participating in significant moments in American history including Indian removal in the western states and the Spanish American War in Cuba. In Hot Springs, he visited the town’s Army and Navy General Hospital as a patient and worked in one of the town’s most elegant establishments. And in death, in 1940, Hayes was buried alongside one of Hot Springs’ more influential figures.

This article explores how Hayes’ life intertwined with not just special moments in Hot Springs National Park’s history, but extraordinary events and people in American history as well.

 

African American man clears large boulders in order to build the Grand Promenade in Hot Springs National Park.

Hot Springs National Park Archives

More Articles Coming Soon

Stay tuned for long-form articles that explore wide-ranging themes that connect the history of African American Bathhouse attendants to larger stories within our nation's national park! These will include themes around:

• Representation and Organization
• Race
• Family
• Service