WATCH: 'Time Tour' launches Friday online

On Friday, readers of The Sentinel-Record will be taken back in time, exploring Hot Springs' history in a new monthly column -- "Time Tour" -- exclusively online.

The column is in partnership with the Garland County Historical Society.

"We are extremely excited to launch this new feature. This is something completely unique that our readers can't get anywhere else," said Harry Porter, general manager of The Sentinel-Record. "Each month our readers can look forward to a new historical feature about Hot Springs. This feature will come complete with photo galleries and stories about our city's colorful past."

Liz Robbins, executive director of GCHS, said readers can expect "not 'textbook' articles, but entertaining photo-essays that show that our history is the opposite of boring."

"Where else but in Garland County could you find presidents and prizefighters, gunfights and gators, fires and floods, moonshiners and ministers, Babe Ruth and Bat Masterson, Helen Keller and Al Capone?" she said. The first installment of the column will feature bootlegging in Garland County.

"Readers might be astounded by how widespread moonshining was in the county (and even in Hot Springs itself), by how inventive our moonshiners were, and by the violent connection between moonshining and the local KKK," she said.

Porter said, "we are very grateful to Liz and everyone at The Historical Society for helping us bring this one of a kind package to our readers."

Preserving the history of the area and making it accessible to students, researchers and the public has been the mission of the nonprofit since 1960, Robbins said.

"At our archives building at 328 Quapaw, we converse and archive a very large photograph collection, masses of paper ephemera, newspapers, maps, books, and memorabilia," she said. "Besides helping local researchers and researchers from across the country, we also make local history available to the public through our website, Facebook page, yearly journal (The Record), monthly meetings, our searchable database of over 80,000 digitized images, our frequent educational programs to civic groups and schools, and other activities."

In addition, Robbins said people can get involved with and support the society in many ways such as "becoming members, making tax-deductible donations of money or materials, buying our publications, interacting with us on Facebook, viewing the glimpses of history we provide on our website, and, attending our program meetings."

For more on the Garland County Historical Society, visit garlandcountyhistorysociety.com, email [email protected] or call 501-321-2159.

Local on 05/06/2020

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