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

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.

What happens when a mayor gets tired of reading bad press? In 1877 Hot Springs, Mayor T.F. Linde decided to cancel his subscription. With a pistol. And then a second pistol. My new article on the wildest political dispute in Spa City history drops tomorrow. #HotSprings #Arkansas #TrueCrime #History

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

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 editor of the local paper and the Mayor of Hot Springs once had a literal shootout in the middle of town. After they both recovered from their wounds, they became next-door neighbors. No, really. #HotSpringsHistory #StrangerThanFiction

FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS: 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

Ever wonder who had to scrub the tubs after the Gilded Age millionaires were done soaking? Tomorrow, we're telling the story of the forgotten workers who built and ran the American Spa. It's a side of Hot Springs history you've never heard. #HotSpringsHistory #LaborDay #Arkansas

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

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

1/3: History Spotlight: The Skirmish at Farr's Mill (July 1864). This wasn't a huge battle, but it perfectly captures the brutal reality of the Civil War in Hot Springs. 🧵 #HotSpringsHistory

1/2: From the new article: The Civil War in Hot Springs "was a brutal, intimate war of ambush and reprisal, fought by pro-Confederate bushwhackers and pro-Union 'Mountain Feds' who used the chaos to settle scores..."

1/1: One of the most powerful legacies of the Civil War in Hot Springs is who came after. The town, left in ruins, saw a slow trickle of visitors: veterans from both the Union and Confederacy, seeking relief from their wounds in the thermal waters. #CivilWarLegacy #HotSprings

🚨 NEW ARTICLE 🚨 The quirky story of the "capital in a cottage" hides a much darker truth. After the governor fled, Hot Springs was abandoned, becoming a lawless battlefield for a brutal guerrilla war that nearly destroyed the town.

1/2: TOMORROW: We're exploring one of the weirdest chapters in Arkansas history—when Hot Springs became the state capital during the Civil War. Why? One word: panic. 🧵

1/2: The Ouachita Mountains weren't just a scenic backdrop; they were a strategic nightmare in the 1860s. #OuachitaMountains

Let's settle a local debate. Was Hot Springs a major, neutral hospital town during the Civil War? The popular legend says yes, but history can be tricky. What do you think? 👍 Yes, it was a hospital town 👎 No, that's a myth

Fun Fact: The water in Hot Springs, AR is 4,000-year-old rainwater. It seeps deep into the earth, gets heated to 143°F, and then comes back up. This is the "magic" elixir that built a city and started America's first wellness craze. 💧 #Geology #Science #Arkansas

You're a tourist in 1880s Hot Springs. Based on our new article, who do you fear most? #History #Poll 🐎 Outlaws on the trail 🥸 Con men in the city 👮 The cops themselves

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

1/3:🔥 NEW ARTICLE LIVE 🔥 Healers, Grifters, and Gunslingers: A Visitor’s Guide to Surviving 19th-Century Hot Springs. Forget the spa brochures. The real story is a Wild West epic of crime and corruption. www.hotspringshistories.com/p/healers-gr... #History #TrueCrime

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

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

What was the most critical ingredient in the creation of Bathhouse Row? #HotSpringsHistory 🔥 The 1878 Fire 👷 Burying the Creek ⚔️ Capitalist Egos 🏦 Gov't Intervention

The free article told the story of the spa war. The paid article is a deep-dive into the winning weapon: The Fordyce Bathhouse. 🏛️

NEW ARTICLE: How to Build a Spa Town: A Hot Springs Tale of Fire, Floods, and Furious Egos. The story of Bathhouse Row isn't one of careful planning. It's the story of how an "uninsurable paradise" built on a sewer was forced to become a masterpiece. www.hotspringshistories.com/p/how-to-bui...

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

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

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 Dunbar-Hunter expedition was supposed to rival Lewis & Clark, but they scrapped the dangerous plan for a "safer" scientific trip to Hot Springs. Did they make the right call? - Right Call (Science First) - Wrong Call (Go for Glory) #History #Poll #WhatIf #AmericanHistory

In 1804, a scientist in Hot Springs recorded "animal life" living in 130°F water. He was documenting "extremophiles" a full CENTURY before the field of study even existed. A truly forgotten moment of scientific genius from our latest article. #Science #History #HotSprings

🚨 NEW ARTICLE LIVE 🚨 Jefferson's 'Other' Expedition: The Forgotten Scientific Birth of Hot Springs. This isn't the story of Lewis & Clark. This is the story of the TWO GUYS who reported back to Jefferson FIRST. Their mission: the hot waters of the Ouachita.

Think Lewis & Clark were the first to report back to Jefferson from the Louisiana Purchase? Think again. There was another expedition. A secret, scientific mission to a place called the "Valley of Vapors."

Friendly reminder that when Al Capone needed a vacation from being a notorious gangster, he came to Hot Springs.

"Taking the Waters" in Hot Springs was the OG wellness trend. Doctors literally prescribed bathing routines in opulent bathhouses to cure ailments. It was part medicine, part luxury, and 100% a scene. 💧 #HotSpringsHistory #SpaHistory

Everyone knows about Lewis & Clark. But did you know Thomas Jefferson sent a *second*, forgotten expedition to explore the south? Their destination: the mysterious hot springs of Arkansas. Next week, we cover the Dunbar-Hunter expedition of 1804. #History #HotSprings #Exploration #AmericanHistory

How do you view the legacy of Hot Springs madams like Maxine Jones? - Feminist icons - Savvy criminals - Master survivors - All of the above After reading our article on the women who ran Hot Springs, what's the verdict? Vote and reply with your take. #History #Debate #WomensHistory

When the national crime syndicate tried to take a cut of her business, Hot Springs madam Maxine Jones told them: "I'm not going to give my money to the syndicate. I pay my money to the city, and I think that's enough."

🔥 NEW ARTICLE IS LIVE! 🔥 History focuses on the men who made Hot Springs a gangster's paradise. But the day-to-day business of vice? It was dominated by women. It's time to meet the Madams.

History remembers the male gangsters of Hot Springs. But the town's most lucrative local rackets? They were run by women. Tomorrow, we meet the Madams. New article drops on Hot Springs Histories. #WomensHistory #HotSprings #TrueCrime

You can draw a straight line from the Haitian Revolution to the creation of Hot Springs, Arkansas as we know it. No, really.

Fact: In 1899 Hot Springs, the cops had a gunfight... with the other cops. The City PD and the County Sheriff's Dept. literally shot it out on Central Avenue over who got to control the town's gambling money. This place has always been wild. #HotSpringsHistory #Arkansas #TrueCrime

A little "On This Day in Hot Springs History" for your Saturday... 🧵 #OTD

Let's take a moment to focus on the man who was the true catalyst for the Louisiana Purchase: Toussaint Louverture. 🧵 #HaitianRevolution

Here's a juicy detail from our new article on the Louisiana Purchase. 🧵 #USHistory