If you're a fan of looking at old photographs of Hot Springs landmarks, but always wondered what became of them, then the Garland County Historical Society has got an early Christmas present headed your way.
Liz Robbins, the society's executive director, dropped by my office the day after Thanksgiving with information about an upcoming book that is guaranteed to knock your socks off: "Then & Now: Hot Springs, Arkansas," by Mike Blythe.
The concept of "then and now" photography is simple in thought but complex in execution: to replicate, as closely as possible, photographs that were taken decades ago.
Blythe, inspired by a "then and now" book of photography featuring scenes of New York City, decided the Spa City would be the ideal subject for such a project.
A retired Entergy Arkansas Inc. employee who volunteers at the society, Blythe told Robbins that he searched for the exact spots where the original photographers stood.
Robbins said he photographed 85 Hot Springs locations for the book, pairing them with old photographs from the historical society's archives.
The goal of the book is to provide readers with photographs of early Hot Springs contrasted with recent photographs of the same location, while providing interesting tidbits of historical information.
Like I said, the idea sounds simple, but finding the exact spot wasn't always easy, according to what Blythe related to Robbins.
"With copies of old photographs from the historical society's archives in hand, I searched for the exact spots where the original photographers stood. Many times, this took me to the middle of Central Avenue, dodging traffic and enduring less-than-friendly glares from drivers," Blythe said in the information provided by Robbins.
Blythe said he also gained a lot of respect for those early photographers, who no doubt lugged heavy equipment to these exact locations, always looking for the perfect shot.
Occasionally, as you might expect, he found the scene obscured by trees or found that the original photograph was taken from a location that is now inaccessible.
One adventure he recounted was having to climb to the top of the Dugan-Stuart Building on an old metal fire escape, then climbing to the edge of the roof to get just the right photograph of the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa.
"Use your imagination, and you can feel the dust of its unpaved streets and hear the clang of a mule-drawn trolley," Robbins says of the book.
Readers will see long-gone venues, such as the Arkansaw Club or the Opera House, featured in the 172-page book.
We'll have more information about the book in an upcoming edition, but the historical society plans to hold a book signing from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, in Room 201 of the Hot Springs Convention Center.
At the same event, Don Duren, an old acquaintance, will be present with a revised edition of "Boiling Out at the Springs: Major League Baseball Spring Training in Hot Springs, Arkansas." More about that one later, too.
Earlier this week, I wrote about how we can be thankful that the community is pulling together to take pride in our neighborhoods, working hand-in-hand with the city to improve the quality of life for all of the citizens in Garland County.
With apologies to James Burke, it helps to know where you've come from to know where you're going. The books by Duren and Blythe, and the historical society as a whole, are great resources to help us celebrate our past and build a brighter future.
Editorial on 11/29/2015