From the 1920s to the early 1960s, Hot Springs was a hot bed of gambling, moonshining, and gangster activity due to friendly city officials. This museum tells the story of the city, with emphasis on its shady history. There’s quite a few artifacts on display, but we weren’t given a chance to look at our leisure. A guide, dressed gangster-like, took us through. First, he would start a video and, when it finished, he’d give us some more history, pointing to various items and photos around the walls as he talked.
Capone ordered this piano for the Maple Inn, a speakeasy/brothel in Forest View, Illinois. But vigilantes burned the inn down before the piano was delivered, and Capone refused to pay for it.
We were told this is an actual tommy gun and were allowed to take photos of ourselves holding it.
John Dillinger’s death mask.
An early gambling machine of some sort.
One gallery in the museum is dedicated to Hot Spring’s history as a spring training location for MLB. The Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) first trained here in 1886, and other teams practiced here until 1920 or so.
I don’t remember much of what we were told, but I remember it being interesting.