HER History

“The more you know about your town’s history, the more connected you feel to your town … it’s one of the things that make you feel like your town’s special and you’re going to take care of it,” Garland County Historical Society Executive Director Liz Robbins said.

Robbins, a Hot Springs native, has been the society’s executive director since she retired from teaching English at Lakeside after 26 years in 2007. Prior to this, Robbins’ experience with the society was through articles she submitted for its annual journal, The Record.

The Record has been published since 1960, and Robbins is the current editor. The journal is a miscellaneous collection of articles written on Garland County’s history by numerous members of the public.

Robbins is the only paid employee in the society, but there are 23 volunteers working alongside her on location, and numerous society members within the community.

“I can’t say enough about the people who serve on our board and who volunteer at the society,” Robbins said. “They’re so dedicated, so hardworking, so cheerful, so much fun to work with … (The core of the society is) the people who care about our history, and that starts with the volunteers, our members and everyone in the community who takes part by giving donations, buying books or helping us however they can.”

The society was founded in 1960. It moved numerous times before finding its permanent home at 328 Quapaw Ave. in 1999. Last year, because of a grant from the Oaklawn Foundation, public fundraising and the society’s funds, the building was able to undergo expansion.

The expansion allowed room for a new archives room and a larger file room — both equipped with a fire protection system intended to preserve all files and artifacts in the case of a fire.

“We expanded, but we still use every inch,” Robbins said.

The file room contains over 5,000 file folders organized into 71 categories.

One category found in the file room is graduating classes. There are files containing information on Garland County graduating classes dated back to the late 1800s. For these folders, the society attempts to collect obituaries from members of graduating classes, reunion announcements and artifacts such as old prom napkins or graduation announcements that some people may deem as “junk.”

Another category that can be found is Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s live race meets. The society strives to collect every document on all significant race meets as they occur.

While collecting as much information from the past as they can, the society also spends a great deal of time scouring publications for print to document the present.

“Today’s present is going to turn into tomorrow’s history,” Robbins said.

The society obtains its artifacts from people bringing them materials, whether it’s photographs, paper materials or just their stories.

Robbins said they will even make photocopies of artifacts and return them to the owner, if desired.

She said society members also go out and photograph areas in Garland County as a way to record the present.

She said the society has digitized over 82,000 photos of the past and present, adding search terms

to each one to make searching on their photo database easier.

Robbins said the society uses the highest archival standards to store artifacts; using acid-free archive materials and ensuring artifacts are packed correctly.

“If we just store things, we’re just a warehouse. A main part of our mission is to educate and make materials easily available to the public,” she said.

The society provides numerous programs for the public that educates them on Garland County’s history while trying to inspire interest.

Robbins said Garland County is a place of quirky happenings, making it interesting to delve into its history. With things like the Ledwidge Undertaking Parlor of 1912 — a drive through mortuary that sat on North Central Avenue — and Al Capone frequenting the Southern Club, superstitiously designating a specific chair as his favorite — which now sits alongside other artifacts in the society’s building.

Robbins said one of her favorite pieces of Garland County history is when the town we now know as Hot Springs burned down during the Civil War, and when the war ended veterans from both sides of the war worked together to rebuild it.

“They (the veterans) put aside the war and their former differences and they worked together to build the town and to create a resort that would be successful,” she said.

People from all over the country contact the society for information on Garland County’s history. Common research topics include past or present Garland County houses, buildings, railroads and citizens — typically one’s relative. Additionally, tourists will frequent the society’s building to educate themselves on Hot Springs’ history.

Common records sought out at the society include town censuses, maps, marriage records, cemetery records and building information.

There is also room for researchers to work in the society building.

The society’s website, http://www. garlandcountyhistoricalsociety.com, is a useful tool for people to use upon deciding to visit its location.

“The website’s database lets people know what the society has to offer and how it can be useful to them,” Robbins said.

In addition to the website, the society has a Facebook page that is updated regularly.

Robbins said the society urges the public to be a part of helping them preserve the county’s history and to contact them to see how they can participate.

“If you’re going to preserve your community’s heritage, you need a central organization that will do that for the community. A place that can house records, that can make them available to other people,” Robbins said. “A place that can conserve what needs to be preserved.”