NPS Photo Bringing Bathhouse Row to LifeIn 2023, Hot Springs used a National Park Foundation grant to support research into the history of African American bath attendants who were integral to the operation of Hot Springs National Park during the era of the Great American Spa. National parks are excellent sites to recover the stories of American communities and share them with millions of yearly visitors. Hot Springs is part of this inaugural class of award recipients! Using this new research, Hot Springs National Park will be able to share stories of African American bathhouse attendants, massage therapists, and other employees in the bathing industry through articles, in-person programs, and exhibits. We at the park are excited to reveal the amazing stories of individuals who brought Hot Springs’ waters to those visiting from across the country and around the world. The Power of Oral HistoryThe best way to collect these important stories is through oral history, a discipline that, according to the Oral History Association, places individual experiences within historical context. Oral histories take the form of an interview, which represents a collaborative effort between the interviewer and the interviewee (or narrator). The National Park Service has been a leader in collecting, preserving, and sharing oral histories at park sites for decades. Listening and reading NPS oral history interviews create opportunities for the public to understand how history is created, understood, and debated. How Can I Contribute?
Using Oral Histories at Hot Springs National ParkOral histories help visitors learn about the park's past using unique historical perspectives. Hot Springs' African American bathhouse workers have so much history to share. Some of their stories are very personal and talk about success, failure, hardship, and joy. But these personal stories focus on concepts that all of us can appreciate and understand.The staff at the national park has used some of its collected oral histories to tell the history of the park for new audiences in the digital age. Below you will find clips of interviews that show the emotion employees had sharing stories or edited videos that let oral histories add to an already exciting national park history. How Do You Want Bathhouse Employees to Be Remembered? Video Player is loading.
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Hot Springs National Park's latest oral history project asked narrators how they would like to be remembered in the park's history. Former employees, their descendants, and community members share their ideas for bathhouse workers' lasting legacy. Robin Higgins with Ernestine Guinn Photo Video Player is loading.
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Massage therapist Robin Higgins reacts to seeing a photo of her friend and bathhouse mentor Ernestine Guinn during an oral history interview with Hot Springs National Park ranger Dan Chmill. Iola Matson with Myrtle Cheatham Photo Video Player is loading.
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Iola Matson reacts to a photo of Myrtle Cheatham, a bath attendant at the Fordyce Bathhouse and her mother, during a 2024 oral history interview with Hot Springs National Park ranger Dan Chmill. African Americans and the Arts Video Player is loading.
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Explore the ways Hot Springs National Park influenced African American art in the twentieth century through a vibrant Black community in town along with residents who created lasting legacies in Black art and music. Legacy of Bath Attendant Jimmie Lemons Video Player is loading.
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Jimmie Lemons worked as a bath attendant at the Majestic Hotel's bathhouse for over 60 years. During this time he not only developed the knowledge to make him succeed at his job, but developed a reputation as a respected member of his community. 
Profiles from the Past
Learn about the influential lives of bathhouse attendants and their significance to the Black community in Hot Springs. 
Oral Histories
Listen and read past oral histories collected at Hot Springs National Park 
Articles
Understand the complex world bathhouse attendants faced as they worked to "bathe the world." |
Last updated: February 19, 2025