"Secret Hot Springs: The Lost Files" unveils fourteen never-before-published stories from the original "Secret Hot Springs" manuscript—tales that dig deeper into the city’s heart, humor, and humanity.
Meet Agnes Demby, the Hot Springs local who stood beside gangster Oweny Madden through his rise and reinvention; the Policy Kings, Black businessmen who built power and community in the shadows; and Billy Collins, a young queen whose light still echoes through local lore. From the nuns who defied the Catholic Church to the “Super-Dee-Duper” mind behind Barney, these stories celebrate the people and places that shaped the town's multifaceted, complex identity.
From floods and fires to fame and faith, The Lost Files pays tribute to the forgotten figures, the unsung heroes, and the resilient spirit of a city that refuses to be ordinary.
These are the stories that didn’t fit neatly between the covers the first time, but deserve their place in the story of Hot Springs now.
"Secret Hot Springs: The Lost Files" unveils fourteen never-before-published stories from the original "Secret Hot Springs" manuscript—tales that dig deeper into the city’s heart, humor, and humanity.
Meet Agnes Demby, the Hot Springs local who stood beside gangster Oweny Madden through his rise and reinvention; the Policy Kings, Black businessmen who built power and community in the shadows; and Billy Collins, a young queen whose light still echoes through local lore. From the nuns who defied the Catholic Church to the “Super-Dee-Duper” mind behind Barney, these stories celebrate the people and places that shaped the town's multifaceted, complex identity.
From floods and fires to fame and faith, The Lost Files pays tribute to the forgotten figures, the unsung heroes, and the resilient spirit of a city that refuses to be ordinary.
These are the stories that didn’t fit neatly between the covers the first time, but deserve their place in the story of Hot Springs now.
