America's Most Haunted Hotel

        One of the most discussed and written about Arkansas landmarks, the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa bears mention for so much unusual history. Billed as "America's Most Luxurious Resort Hotel" by its builders, it has become self-described in this millennium as "America's Most Haunted Hotel." As a member of the Historic Hotels of America, National Trust for Historic Preservation and added in February 2016 to the National Register of Historic Places, The Crescent Hotel has known many incarnations. Built first as a resort for the wealthy, it was also a college for girls and a notorious hospital run by a con man before becoming a hotel and spa. 

Billed as “America’s Most Haunted Hotel” the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa has been restored and welcomes guests from all over the world. Ghost tours are offered nightly as well as stories around the campfire. Many of the hotel’s ghosts are referred to fondly. Guests contribute to the stories, posting their own experiences to the hotel’s Facebook page. The ghost tours take one through almost the entire hotel, including the basement where Dr. Norman G. Baker had his morgue. The stops along the way introduce the many ghosts and their stories. Some experiences of guests and hotel staff are told. It isn’t an experience for the faint of heart or the extremely superstitious. At Halloween, special tours are conducted for those seeking a spooky experience for the holiday. 

The ghosts of the hotel seem to come from every incarnation of its history. The most morbid period, when it was run as a “cancer hospital” by self-described doctor, Norman Baker, has given the Crescent the spookiest part of its reputation. The show Ghost Hunters, a SciFi Channel series, recorded a show in Eureka Springs, focusing mainly on the Crescent. They recorded what appeared to be an apparition in the basement area with a thermal imaging camera that surprised even the seasoned paranormal investigators. 

The hotel sits at the highest point in a very hilly town. It can be seen from most points in the quaint town of Eureka Springs. Visitors can enjoy rooftop dining and a wonderful view of the town. 

      I visited the Crescent in the summer of 2015 with a friend and experienced its charm, beauty, and eeriness for myself. We wanted the whole experience, so signed up for the ghost tour available each evening. After checking in, my friend and I decided to explore the hotel before dinner. Traversing the stairs and landings, I stopped at each floor to look below. It was at one of these that I experienced a feeling I'm not sure I can describe, but it made me step back from the railing. Shaking it off, I stepped forward again and experienced the same feeling. It was a little stronger. I stepped back and decided I wouldn't repeat the experience.

      After a lovely dinner on the roof terrace, complete with a couple of strong drinks (maybe for courage?), we took the after dark ghost tour. Our guide was dressed in period costume and started us all with a history of the hotel as well as a brief history of each of the ghosts. There are at least 5 human ghosts and one cat! As we toured the halls, I was more than a little spooked to discover that the spot on the landing where I had experienced that odd feeling was the approximate area where a child had fallen to her death. 

      The only other spot on the tour that spooked me more than a little was the area in the basement where the SciFi Channel show Ghost Hunters had filmed the apparition that actually frightened them. I thought I had caught something out of the corner of my eye (My imagination? Had to be!) and the hair on the back of my neck actually stood on end.

      Like Hot Springs, Eureka Springs became world renown back in the 1800s for its springs. It seems to be a mark of the Victorian era that, "taking the waters,” was a way to heal the body and cleanse the soul. Because of these beliefs, true or not, both towns experienced a tourist boom that lasted through two different centuries. 

      It was those springs and the claims that they helped to cure illnesses that brought a world-class charlatan and con man to the Crescent Hotel in the late 1930s. Norman Baker, who proclaimed himself a physician, had his own radio show and used it to promote a "cancer cure" that he distributed worldwide. Apparently, he saw the Crescent, abandoned for the past 3 years as an opportunity he could not pass up. Purchasing the hotel and renaming it the Baker Hospital, he again used his radio show to promote his cure for cancer, claiming that the healing waters of Eureka Springs added to the cure would allow patients to leave cancer free. The horror story that followed led to "Doctor" Baker's arrest by the federal government and his imprisonment for fraud. It also seems to be the major factor in contributing to the Crescent's spooky reputation. 

      There are at least two ghosts attached to the hotel before Norman Baker's term; one when the hotel was being constructed, a young stonemason named Michael who fell to his death and the other a young girl who was a student while it was the Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Girls. The rest of the ghosts seem to be from the time period when it was more of a house of horrors than the hospital it was claimed to be.

      Our good "Doctor" Baker lured cancer patients to his hospital with claims that he could cure cancer without surgery. What happened instead was that most of his patients died and many were probably incinerated in the basement. Patients appeared to have a habit of leaving in the middle of the night (odd time to leave a hospital). When other patients would inquire where so and so was, Baker would happily proclaim that they had been cured and could not wait to return home to loved ones. He also took advantage of the patients as they became weaker, persuading them to sign over a power of attorney so that he could rob them after they died as well. From the federal investigation that followed his arrest, it appears that Norman Baker was raking in over $500,000 a year on his elixir and had defrauded patients out of more than four million dollars. It was never proved that he actually murdered anyone, but proof did exist that he was negligent in the care of his charges and more than ample proof that he defrauded people by mail and at his hospital. 

     Norman Baker, although he apparently did not directly murder his patients, may compete with H.H. Holmes, one of the first documented serial killers, in body count. During the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, he lured people to a hotel he designed and built with murder in mind. Although he confessed to 27 murders, it is believed his body count was upwards of 200. 

      

For the most part, the ghosts at the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa appear to be benign or a bit mischievous. Many visitors, as well as staff, have had their own ghostly encounters and post to Facebook. It is worth a visit for the view alone as the Crescent is located above the town of Eureka Springs and one can see nearly the whole town from the Sky Bar terrace and many of the rooms in the hotel. Do be willing to take the Ghost Tour and learn why your jewelry was misplaced along with your shoes or you had that funny feeling in this particular spot. Did you feel a furry brush on your leg? You may find out about that as well. It isn't the two current resident cats.

Texarkana State Line Post Cards

I think this is the oldest of the images I have. Apparently, the idea of one's ass in one state and yourself in another was quite popular for postcards back in the day. 

Be sure to examine the next two closely. They are obviously the same man. He has a peg leg, but the two are from different time periods as one is the old post office and one is the newer post office. I will tell you, I had them both for longer than I care to admit before I realized the man had a peg leg. 



This is the older post office. You can see it in the oldest image above.



And here is the newer Post Office and Courthouse. In the first, there are horses and buggies or wagons and the car is older. In this, the cars look like they are probably from the late 30s or early 40s. It is the same man and donkey in both images. Either he posed again, which I doubt, or this is an early example of photo or image manipulation.




This postcard got a little more artistic with the picture and reverses which state the man is in.

You can clearly see the Post Office/Courthouse at the end of State Line Avenue. I'd love to get a photo of this now to compare the images. 

Does anyone know if there are other states where the post office is bisected by the state line? I do know there are several cities that are, but it would be interesting to know if a federal building is also. 

Basin Park Hotel, Eureka Springs

Of all my postcards of the Basin Park Hotel, this is my favorite. This period of time when people were driving automobiles and still being driven about in horse-drawn carriages is  so interesting to me. I have several postcards with both cars and horse-drawn vehicles. Much has been written about the Crescent so I thought I would feature the Basin park Hotel first. 

This view of Eureka Springs shows the Basin Park and the Crescent in the background. The Crescent Hotel is far more famous, or infamous if you prefer. The Crescent was built in 1886 and the Basin Park 19 years later in 1905.  

Built 19 years after its famous cousin, the Crescent Hotel, Basin Park has its own claim to fame. The Basin Park was put in Ripley's Believe it or not because, believe it or not, every floor of the hotel is a ground floor!

The hotel has been restored and offers ghost and downtown Eureka Springs tours featuring some of the town's famous and infamous history. The Basin Park has an onsite spa and in hotel dining and is located on its main drag, Spring Street so the shopping is within walking distance.

If you would like to learn more about Basin Park Hotel please visit their website at:

http://www.basinpark.com

Arkansas River at Pine Bluff Frozen Over

My favorite postcards are usually the ones that reflect historical events. I have actually found three postcards regarding the freezing of the Arkansas River in Pine Bluff. The first two I found were from January 1912.This one appears to be a steamboat towing a sightseeing barge. At least, I would guess that's why there is an open lower and upper deck with stairs leading to the upper deck.

 This boat has a gangplank and boards  leading to shore and there are actually men and women walking on the frozen river. The ice looks pretty rough and probably would be hard to do more than walk for a short distance.

This was the third card I found. The river froze in February 1898, fourteen years before the date of the two above. It's really cool that the card points out that the two dots seen on the left side are actually people walking on the ice.

This is a scene of the Arkansas River during warmer weather. 

The most recent freezing event I could find in an online search was December 1983. The river does seem to flood with some frequency, but freezing is a pretty rare event. It's hard to believe that, since Pine Bluff is in southern Arkansas, that a river as large as this would freeze at all. I live in the northern part of the state and can only remember the rivers freezing here the same year (1983) that the Arkansas River froze. The Mississippi River at Memphis also had ice in it that year.

When you talk to residents who have lived here all their lives, many of them tell of their parents and grandparents going down to the White or Buffalo Rivers in winter to cut ice blocks for their ice houses.

The link below will take you to KATV's Weather Blog and a video of the river in December 1983.

http://arkansasweather.blogspot.com/2011/12/remembering-one-of-worst-arctic.html

Señor Dionicio Rodriguez and a Mystery Solved

This image solved a mystery for me. I've had a photo of my sons' great-grandfather standing in front of what I thought was an old weathered tree and was told it was probably taken in California. When I saw this black and white image, I realized where it had been taken.

Frank Dillard, my sons' great-grandfather

When you look at the image above, you can clearly see it is the same tree.

Back of card:
This replica of the crag of an ancient tree was built of concrete by the noted Aztec artist Señor Dionicio Rodriguez. The bark, interior grain of wood, etc. are perfectly reproduced in concrete. The artist's theory was that seats were shaped from the partially decayed interior. This huge hollow stump of crag is directly in front of a large modernistic designed stone walled lily pond. Lilies of every color cover this pond in the Spring and Summer.

Upon looking further, I found this color postcard of the same tree. The paragraph on the back of the card explained what the tree was. 

Back of card:
In designing the structure shown on the reverse side of this card, Señor Dionicio Rodriguez's, the noted Mexican concrete artist, conception was as follows: A great cloudburst washed out and exposed the roots of this sturdy tree but the tree maintained its upright position. Early settlers, noticing that it would make an ideal resting place, theoretically hewed off the tops of the roots and, cutting off the limbs at the proper positions, nailed on a rustic framework and made a straw roof fastened at the top with a homemade rope.

The above was my next discovery, also in the Lakewood Subdivision and from the same artist.

Back of card:
The central part of a design comprised of several pieces of unusual work in concrete, reproduced to look like wood, executed by a Mexican artist engaged to do this particular work. This old mill is turned by a water wheel, all being made to look like hewn timbers; there are bridges all over the stream, rustic seats, etc., all of concrete, but colored and textured in minutest detail with such perfection as to deceive the closest observer.

Some of you may recognize the old mill in this postcard. It was in Gone with the Wind, an American classic film. This is still located in North Little Rock, Arkansas and is a memorial park.

The other two sculptures are still in Little Rock. The tree and natural umbrella remain on the Lakewood properties. 

Señor Rodriguez's work can be found in several states. Located mainly in Texas, which became his home state after coming to the U.S. from Mexico, his works can also be found in Maryland, Tennessee, New Mexico, and Arkansas, of course. Several have been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

http://www.lakewoodpoa.com/photos/

https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/hispanic/2001/rodriguez.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionicio_Rodriguez

http://www.arkansas.com/attractions/detail/the-old-mill-at-t-r-pugh-memorial-park/17601

I.Q. Zoo- More than just training animals for entertainment

Many who visited Hot Springs,Arkansas, have fond memories of the I.Q. Zoo. The exhibits featured animals trained by Keller and Marion Breland Bailey. When I started researching I didn't expect to find much about the I.Q. Zoo. How wrong I was.

I remember seeing these trained animals on the East coast where I was raised. I visited Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. Both places had trained animals. I was fascinated to see a chicken beat human players at Tic Tac Toe. I never did figure out how it was done.

The Brelands trained all kinds of domestic and exotic animals using rewards for training. Dogs and cats were actually trained by contract for the military. Marion Breland Bailey was believed to be the first person to train a cat, not the easiest task, for use in TV commercials.

The Brelands developed the first dolphin training manual. The same techniques are still in use today. They had a hand in training some of the dolphins for Marineland, Florida, one of the first parks of its kind.

The back of each of the animal postcards reads:

This performing animal demonstrates a brand new method of animal training. The animal has been trained by animal psychologist Keller Breland, at Hot Springs, Arkansas. Breland’s animals learn by the reward system. No punishment is used. Once trained, they never forget and will happily perform for anyone. These educated animals are nationally famous. They have been featured on television and in Life, Popular Mechanics, Reader’s Digest and other national magazines.

There is actually a website dedicated to the I.Q. Zoo. It is hosted by Robert C. Bailey and the University of Central Arkansas. They have photos, videos and articles posted about the animals and their trainers. 

There are lots of links to explore if you are interested in learning more about the I.Q. Zoo. The APA (American Psychological Association) has a page dedicated to the I.Q. Zoo. It was here I learned that Eddie, the Jack Russell Terrier from Frazier was trained by Marian Breland Bailey. Robert Bailey was Marian's second husband. Keller Breland died of a heart attack in 1965, 10 years after opening the I.Q. Zoo. Marian and her second husband Bob continued and expanded the training until her death in 2001.For more information:

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/09/animals.aspx

http://www3.uca.edu/iqzoo/iqzoo.htm

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2538

https://www.uakron.edu/chp/abe/the-iq-zoo/

Hot Springs Ostrich Farm

The postcards about the ostrich farm were some of the first cards I collected. The images were just so interesting to me. I've seen short clips of people riding ostriches but hadn't seen any with them pulling a four-wheeled buggy like the one above. Visitors were allowed to rent the buggy and ride around Hot Springs towed by and ostrich.

This big bird was one of the prize racing ostriches. They usually weighed over 400 pounds. You can still see ostrich racing here in the states. The ostrich farm actually sent the racing birds to state and county fairs. They were pitted against horses and actually made great time whether ridden bareback or in harness. The birds could beat a horse in a short race, but the horses won in a longer race.

From the postcard, it looks like even tourists could ride an ostrich if they had the courage. Not me!

Back in the day, ostrich feathers were used for personal decoration and raising ostriches was probably a lucrative proposition. Birds could be purchased from the farm by catalog. I wonder if they just shipped eggs and chicks? Full-grown birds are usually over 250 pounds.

This is a beautiful bird.

The farm was run until the mid-1950s, over 15 years after its owner, Thomas Cockburn died.

To read more about the farm:

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=4429&type=Type&item=Thing&parent=&grandparent=