From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, Hot Springs flourished as a spring training site for major and minor league baseball teams, which came to soak in the city's signature thermal waters and exercise their limbs to prepare for the upcoming season.
A new book, "Baseball in Hot Springs," by Hot Springs resident Mark Blaeuer, brings together a collection of photographs taken across the city at the numerous ballparks that were utilized by Major League Baseball teams including the New York Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies.
The book showcases Hot Springs sites in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. What once was Fogel Field now survives as a vacant lot behind the Arkansas Alligator Farm & Petting Zoo, 847 Whittington Ave. The Boston Red Sox's spring home, Majestic Park, is now the site of the Boys & Girls Club of Hot Springs. These fields attracted Hall of Famers Jack Chesbro, of the New York Yankees, Honus Wagner, of the Pittsburg Pirates, and Zack Wheat, of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Blaeuer, a 25-year resident of Hot Springs and retired ranger for Hot Springs National Park, is considered an authority on African-American teams. He was one of the baseball historians who collaborated with Visit Hot Springs on the Hot Springs Arkansas Historic Baseball Trail.
"After I retired in 2011, the Park Service was starting up a group of researchers for the baseball trail and one of the researchers suggested to the rest of the group to invite me into the group," Blaeuer said. "Then it seemed I spent a lot of time doing research on baseball."
Blaeuer was later approached by Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, about the proposed "Baseball in Hot Springs" project by Arcadia Publishing.
"They originally wanted the book within a year and a half, but it didn't work out that way because getting the rights to the photos was a little stickier than I thought it would be," Blaeuer said. "There were people that were glad to be given a courtesy line and let me use a photo. But others, like the Baseball Hall of Fame, had quite a few photos that I had to purchase the rights to."
Blaeuer's research included reviewing articles from The Sentinel-Record and the former Hot Springs New Era and microfilm archives at the Garland County Library and Garland County Historical Society. Some photographs did not include dates, but thanks to the Baseball Hall of Fame's database Dressed to the Nines, Blaeuer was able to calculate what time frame the pictures were taken due to the uniforms.
"I looked at photos and if there was a statement on the back from the news service that was sending it out to newspapers with the actual date, that was gold." Blaeuer said. "I would have an actual date to look for in the newspapers to see when a particular picture was used and what the specific details were. In other cases, I had to go off what they looked like, what the uniforms were and what Whittington Park and the other parks looked like."
"Baseball in Hot Springs" was officially released on Monday and is available for purchase at Oak Park Pharmacy, 1700 Malvern Ave., National Park Gifts, 370 Central Ave., and State & Pride Provisions Company, 518 Central Ave. Blaeuer will be at the American Art Gallery, 724 Central Ave., today during Gallery Walk to sign copies of his book. He will have another signing from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
"I want to make sure people understand that the main reason baseball players came here originally was to take the baths at the bath houses. I tried to include a diversity of things in here."
He anticipates the possible 2017 release of a project in the works about African-American baseball history in Hot Springs.
Local on 04/03/2016