Out of the Vapors: A Social and Architectural History of Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
Paige JC and Harrison LS. 1986. Out of the Vapors: A Social and Architectural History of Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. Washington, D.C.
This special study was designed to answer specific historical and architectural questions posed by the staff of Hot Springs National Park and the Southwest Region. These questions formed the basis for this document. Additional material was used to place the study in an appropriate historical context. The first chapter is an effort to place the spa development at Hot Springs National Park in a broader context by giving an abbreviated general world history of spas with special emphasis on spa development in the United States. The second chapter presents a general history of the hot springs from prehistoric times to the present with special emphasis on the rise and decline of bathhouse row. The next several chapters are in-depth discussions of a series of topics related to the bathing industry at Hot Springs National Park. The topics discussed include the construction history of the thermal water distribution system and creek arch; bathing routines over the centuries; e bathing as part of prescribed medical treatment for the cure of diseases; the financial aspects of the bathing industry; the treatment of the poor by private enterprise and the government; the treatment of minorities by private enterprise and the government; development of transportation to the hot springs; legal and illegal promotional activities of the hot springs and their medical benefits; criminal activity that took place around the hot springs; fires and floods in the community surrounding the hot springs; the social and recreational activities at the hot springs; scientific investigations of the hot springs; the architecture of the bathhouses; and biographies of the bathhouse designers. These topics provide the framework for discussion of the myriad of human activities and uses of the thermal water at Hot Springs National Park. The document represents the combined efforts of John Paige and Laura Soulliere Harrison. Chapters 1 through 3 and 5 through 7 are primarily the work of Mr. Paige. Ms. Harrison supplied considerable architectural information and wrote portions of chapters 1 and 2. Ms. Harrison is the primary author for chapters 4 1 8 1 and 9 and is responsible for the illustrations and captions.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Paige, John; Harrison, Laura
- Date of Issue
- 1986
- Units
- HIST , HOSP
- Keywords
- American Exploration and Settlement, and Recreational Activities of the Hot Springs Spa Industry, architectural history, Architecture, Arkansas, Bathing Practices Over the Years, Cultural Resources, disasters, Economics of the Bathing Industry, ehistory, European Discovery of the Hot Springs, History, Hot Springs During the Civil War, Medicinal Aspects of Bathing, Minorities and the Bathing Industry, Prehistory at the Hot Springs, Promotional and Illegal Activities, Scientific Investigations of the Hot Springs, social life, The History of American Spas, The History of Bathing at Hot Springs, The History of Spas, The Hot Springs Spa Industry and Bathhouse Row, The Natural Setting, Until the Civil War