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Eureka Springs in Carroll County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
 

"Mud" Street and "Underground Eureka"

 
 
"Mud" Street and "Underground Eureka" Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., April 9, 2012
1. "Mud" Street and "Underground Eureka" Marker
Inscription.
Professor KALKLOSCH’s Guidebook, published in 1880, states: “The first street of the town was surveyed down the gulch below the spring. A broad avenue connects this street with the famous EUREKA BASIN SPRING. It being the first street it was named MAIN STREET. Owing to its low elevation and the law of gravitation, water would find a level in the street and as immense travel created an abundance of mud, the street was nicknamed “MUD,” a name without music or elegance.”

Dozens of wooden structures lined MAIN STREET along a small creek which collected runoff from the springs. Great fires in 1883 and 1888 destroyed most of the early buildings. Owners rapidly rebuilt more substantial commercial blocks of limestone and brick but set at the same level along the creek and narrow street.

In 1890 major street improvements were undertaken. Limestone walls were built, filled in and smoothed to provide a wider surface for MAIN and SPRING STREETS, often raising the new throughfares up to the second story level in front of many fine business houses whose ground floor doors and windows then faced the new retaining walls a few feet away.

Thus, a series of buildings along MAIN and the downhill side of SPRING STREET turned ground floors into basements, connected by narrow passageways that once were storefronts.

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Most MAIN STREET buildings also have yet another basement level through which runs the little stream of water.
 
Erected by the Eureka Springs Preservation Society and the Community Development Partnership.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ArchitectureRoads & VehiclesSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.
 
Location. 36° 24.083′ N, 93° 44.27′ W. Marker is in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in Carroll County. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (State Highway 23) and Spring Street, on the right when traveling east on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 22 South Main Street, Eureka Springs AR 72632, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Chandler Mall Buildings (here, next to this marker); Civil War Healing (within shouting distance of this marker); The Basin Bath House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Southern Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); The Basin Park Sycamore (within shouting distance of this marker); Spanish-American and World War Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Civic Center (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Springs (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Eureka Springs.
"Mud" Street and "Underground Eureka" Marker Photo image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Unknown, Undated
2. "Mud" Street and "Underground Eureka" Marker Photo

 
Also see . . .
1. Eureka Springs History. (Submitted on December 19, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Eureka Springs Preservation Society, Inc. (Submitted on December 19, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
 
"Mud" Street and Chandler Mall Bldgs Markers image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., April 9, 2012
3. "Mud" Street and Chandler Mall Bldgs Markers
Chandler Mall Buildings and "Mud" Street and "Underground Eureka" Markers image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr.
4. Chandler Mall Buildings and "Mud" Street and "Underground Eureka" Markers
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 774 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on December 19, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.   4. submitted on December 18, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

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Mar. 28, 2024