The Garland County Historical Society has opened ticket sales for Hidden Hot Springs 2021, an annual fundraiser for the society's preservation and education work.
The homes featured on this year's tour, Hilltop Manor at 2009 Park Ave. and the Elizabeth and Peter Dierks Joers house at 2011 Park Ave., "stand as stellar examples of 20th-century architecture," the society said in a news release.
"For five decades Hilltop Manor was the home of prominent community leader and owner of Craighead Laundry, Mose Klyman. Now a Diamond Collection Inn, the house is representative of the American Craftsman style prevalent early in the last century. Nestled on 5 acres that border Hot Springs National Park land, the 7,000-square-foot house sits on the site of a former working farm. Vestiges of the farm include the foundation of a large barn and stone water troughs. The sweeping porch opens to rooms that include original oak floors and multiple stone fireplaces. The unique roofline as well as some interior features reflect changes made by Klyman and his wife, Billie, after an Asian honeymoon in the 1940s," the release said.
Situated on adjoining acreage, the Joers house, today the home of Kathleen and Len Pitcock, is a classic example of Mid-Century Modern style.
"Built on just over 6 acres purchased from Mose Klyman in the 1950s, the 5,500-square-foot boomerang-shaped house hugs a custom swimming pool. Throughout the house, the use of unique hand-milled woods pay homage to the role of Peter Joers as an heir and board chair of Dierks Lumber Company. The other dominant material, limestone mined in Austin, appears both on the exterior as well as in the interior of the home. The majority of the furnishings are original to the home," it said.
The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 4, 2009.
Hidden Hot Springs 2021 also offers a "rare opportunity to step back thousands of years in Garland County history. The land beneath the two homes was once part of the prehistoric Natchitoches Trace, a Native American trade route connecting what became St. Louis, Mo., and Natchitoches, La. Historic accounts of the Chalybeate Spring, which flows under the property, date back to the 1804 Hunter and Dunbar expedition sent here by President Thomas Jefferson. From 1836 to 1849, Garland County pioneer Hiram A. Whittington lived on the property. Nearby he operated the Chalybeate Springs resort, reputed to be the state's first," the release said.
The property also saw significant activity during the Civil War. A cemetery on the adjoining national park land serves as the final resting place for many who lived through various periods of the property's history.
"The 2021 tours provide us with the opportunity to not only share two beautiful homes but also to share the depth of history associated with the land itself," Julie Brenner Nix, president of the Garland County Historical Society and co-chair of the event, said in the release.
"We do want to remind everyone that our 2019 tours sold out very early. We hate for anyone to be disappointed, but we do again have to cap ticket sales at 100," event co-Chair Carol Moenster Dyer said in the release.
Tours of the homes and property will be held on Sunday, Sept. 26 from 2-4 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.garlandcountyhistoricalsociety.com or in person or by phone at the society's archives at 328 Quapaw. Call 501-321-2159 on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tours have limited disabled accessibility and involve the use of stairs. "Attendees wishing to explore remnants of historic structures on the property are encouraged to wear suitable shoes," the release said.
