Hot Springs in Garland County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Lamar Bathhouse
— Hot Springs National Park —
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 5, 2022
1. Lamar Bathhouse Marker
Inscription.
Lamar Bathhouse. . The first Lamar opened in 1888, the final year that Georgia-born Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (1825-1891) , a former Confederate officer, overseas ambassador for the Confederacy, and U.S. Representative and Senator for Mississippi , served as Secretary of Interior under President Grover Cleveland. Lamar was a tremendously popular figure in the South, since he had championed the call for amnesty toward Confederate soldiers. Also in 1888, Lamar became a United States Supreme Court Justice. Linking the bathhouse to such a distinguished personage not only honored the man, it also honored the bathhouse. As late as 1917, a local promotional guide praised the Lamar as an “important institution.” The present Lamar opened in 1923. L.Q.C. Lamar's reputation faded as Civil War veterans died, and a 1931 blueprint for improvements in the building had his name mistakenly spelled “La Mar.” This is reflected in the pre-1935 exterior plaques, which even use an accent mark. His legacy, however, is secure in history. The Law Center at University of Mississippi is named for Lamar, as is a county in Alabama, a river in Yellowstone National Park, and a hot spring behind the Maurice Bathhouse., [Captions] , . Top left: Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar in 1888. , . Bottom left: Lamar Spring , . Right: The first Lamar Bathhouse in 1888
The first Lamar opened in 1888, the final year that Georgia-born Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (1825-1891) — a former Confederate officer, overseas ambassador for the Confederacy, and U.S. Representative and Senator for Mississippi — served as Secretary of Interior under President Grover Cleveland. Lamar was a tremendously popular figure in the South, since he had championed the call for amnesty toward Confederate soldiers. Also in 1888, Lamar became a United States Supreme Court Justice. Linking the bathhouse to such a distinguished personage not only honored the man, it also honored the bathhouse. As late as 1917, a local promotional guide praised the Lamar as an “important institution.” The present Lamar opened in 1923. L.Q.C. Lamar's reputation faded as Civil War veterans died, and a 1931 blueprint for improvements in the building had his name mistakenly spelled “La Mar.” This is reflected in the pre-1935 exterior plaques, which even use an accent mark. His legacy, however, is secure in history. The Law Center at University of Mississippi is named for Lamar, as is a county in Alabama, a river in Yellowstone National Park, and a hot spring behind the Maurice Bathhouse.
[Captions]
• Top left: Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar in 1888.
• Bottom left: Lamar Spring
• Right: The first
Location. 34° 30.697′ N, 93° 3.216′ W. Marker is in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in Garland County. Marker is on Reserve Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 105 Reserve St, Hot Springs National Park AR 71901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 5, 2022
2. Lamar Bathhouse Marker
CONFIRM THIS Now in the Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center, the marker previously was in front of the Lamar Bathhouse.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 24, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 102 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 24, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
