Gangster Museum of America in downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Photo by David and Kay Scott organized crime in Chicago. Capone brought along numerous friends and would rent an entire floor of the massive Arlington Hotel that still stands in downtown Hot Springs.
Another big-time gangster, this one from New York City, was Owen Vincent Madden, known as“ Owney” or“ The Killer.” Madden twice served time in Sing Sing prison. Following his second release, New York governor Franklin D. Roosevelt, told Madden to stay out of the state. In 1935, Madden moved to Hot Springs where he became good friends of the mayor and judge. Madden’ s previous acquaintances, including Frank Costello, Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel and Charles“ Lucky” Luciano, often visited Hot Springs to enjoy its amenities.
Another arrival was Alvin Karpis, the last Public Enemy No. 1 and thought to be the mastermind of the Barker Gang. He utilized Hot Springs as a hideout while being wanted for bank robberies, kidnappings, burglaries and murders.
During most of this period Arkansas, but not Hot Springs, had laws prohibiting gambling. The state finally put an end to gambling in Hot Springs in 1967 when the governor sent state troopers to close the casinos and destroy their equipment. Once the gambling was gone so were most of the gangsters.
Today’ s Hot Springs isn’ t embarrassed to tell visitors about its gangster history. The Gangster Museum of America in downtown Hot Springs offers guided tours through seven galleries of memorabilia, pictures and video that tell the town’ s gangster era. One new non-gangster gallery is dedicated to baseball players, including Babe Ruth, who visited Hot Springs from 1886 to the 1920s when the town served as an early site for major league spring training.
A nearby downtown location that served as a hangout for both gangsters and major league baseball players is the Ohio Club that opened in 1905. The restaurant remains a popular bar and grill offering live music several nights a week.
Kay and David Scott live in Valdosta, Georgia. They are authors of“ Exploring the Oregon Trail: America’ s Historic Road Trip”( Globe Pequot). Visit them at blog. valdosta. edu / dlscott.
IF YOU GO Gangster Museum of America 510 Central Ave. 501-318-1717 thegangstermuseum. com
The Ohio Club 336 Central Avenue 501-627-0702 theohioclub. com
Hot Springs offers a wide variety of hotels, motels, and cabins for visitors.
Hotel Hale, a converted historic bathhouse in Hot Springs National Park 501-750-9010 hotelhale. com
Outside of town in the hills In The Trees with upscale cabins and tree houses 501-430- 4199 inthetrees. com
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