What are the opening hours?

Wednesday 12:30pm - 4:30pm Thursday 12:30pm - 4:30pm Friday 12:30pm - 4:30pm

Hot Spring County Museum

Home
United States
Malvern, AR
Hot Spring County Museum

Dedicated to the preservation of the history of Hot Spring County and its people for present and future generations.

The Hot Spring County Museum is dedicated to the preservation of Hot Spring County’s history, including stewardship of the Boyle Home, the Gibbs Cabin, and the Hughes Cabin, to preserve the Boyle Family legacy, and to educate visitors on the lifeways of previous generations.

05/25/2026

Museum Minute: Memorial Day & the Purple Heart

Each Memorial Day, Americans pause to remember the men and women who died while serving in the United States military. Originally called “Decoration Day,” the holiday began after the Civil War when families decorated soldiers’ graves with flowers and flags. Today, Memorial Day honors all who gave their lives in military service.

One of the nation’s most recognized military honors is the Purple Heart. The award traces its history back to 1782, when General George Washington created the “Badge of Military Merit” during the American Revolution. In 1932, the modern Purple Heart medal was established to honor service members wounded or killed in combat.

The Purple Heart is unique because it is not awarded for achievement or rank, but for sacrifice. Its purple heart-shaped design bears the profile of George Washington and serves as a lasting reminder of courage, duty, and the human cost of war.

As you observe Memorial Day, take a moment to reflect on the stories behind the medals, photographs, and names preserved in museums and memorials across the country. Each represents a life of service and sacrifice that helped shape our nation’s history.

The artifacts shown can be seen at the Hot Spring County Museum. Come by to see these and more at your local museum!

05/08/2026

Hello All!

This Thursday, May 14, at the Hot Spring County Library, the Hot Spring County Museum and Hot Spring County Master Gardeners have invited Susan Harper to perform a reenactment of Verna Cook Garvan. Harper has worked at the Garvan Woodland Gardens for over 20 years, and she has spent years researching and performing living history portrayals of the garden's founder that are a must see!

The event takes place at 5:30 PM and is FREE to the public. We hope to see you there!

04/20/2026

Come join us this Saturday for some fun in the museum gardens! See the attached flyer for details. We look forward to seeing you there!

03/27/2026

Museum Minute Triple Feature
Objects: Cast Iron Tailor's Goose, The Diamond Iron, General Mills Betty Crocker Iron
Year: Circa 1850s, 1910, 1950

For centuries, people have used heat and pressure to smooth clothing and keep fabrics looking neat. Long before electric irons, people found creative ways to remove wrinkles.

The earliest known ironing methods date back to ancient China around the 1st century B.C. Instead of a metal iron, people used metal pans filled with hot coals or heated sand and pressed them over cloth.

By the 1700s and 1800s, households in Europe and America commonly used sad irons. These were heavy, solid pieces of iron heated on a stove or fireplace. The word “sad” comes from an old English word meaning solid or heavy, not unhappy. Because the irons cooled quickly, several were often heated at the same time and rotated during ironing.

During the 1800s, inventors also developed fuel irons, sometimes called box irons. These irons were hollow and designed to hold a source of heat inside. Some were filled with hot coals, while others burned charcoal, alcohol, kerosene, or gasoline. Because the heat source was inside the iron, they stayed hot longer than solid irons. However, they could produce smoke, soot, or fumes, and required careful use.

A major change came in the early 1900s with the invention of the electric iron. Electric irons allowed people to heat the iron safely and maintain a steady temperature, making laundry work faster and easier.

Today, modern steam irons and fabric technologies have simplified clothing care, but the basic idea remains the same: using heat and pressure to smooth fabric—a practice that has lasted for more than two thousand years.

02/27/2026

Museum Minute
Object: Japanese Nippon Era Chocolate Set
Year: Early 1900’s

Before chocolate bars and candy, chocolate was a drink.
In the 1700s and early 1800s, families prepared hot chocolate from ground cacao mixed with water or milk. A special vessel called a chocolate pot was used to heat and serve the beverage. Unlike a teapot, a chocolate pot was tall and narrow and often had a small hole in the lid for a wooden whisk, called a molinillo, used to froth the drink. Chocolate was expensive. Sugar was expensive. Serving chocolate in a fine silver or porcelain pot signaled wealth and refinement. In fashionable homes, chocolate was served at breakfast or offered to guests during social visits.

The chocolate pot also tells a global story. Cacao originated in Central America and was first consumed by the Maya and Aztec peoples. European demand for chocolate in the 1700s and 1800s fueled international trade networks connecting the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. By the late 1800s, advances in industry made cocoa powder easier to prepare. Specialized chocolate pots gradually disappeared as chocolate became more affordable and widely available.

This elegant object reflects changing tastes, global trade, and the evolution of everyday life. These cobalt blue pieces with floral accents are hand-painted and gold gilded. The raised star mark on the base of the chocolate pot confirms the set is from the “Nippon” era (1891-1921), when the United States required all porcelain to be marked with the country of origin due to the McKinley Tariff Act. (“Nippon” literally translates to “Japan”.)

The chocolate set pictured here belonged to Stella Boyle Smith, a well-known Arkansas philanthropist whose family home now houses the Boyle House - Hot Spring County Museum.

02/06/2026

The Museum Minute
Object: Pre-Civil War Mariners' Compass Quilt
Year: 1800s (possibly 1830s to 1850s)

This beautiful quilt is a rare piece of early-American textile work. The quilt features a Mariners' Compass pattern, and this is one of the earliest named American quilt patterns, widely used along the East Coast. The pattern is inspired by "compass roses" and "wind roses" found on nautical maps and sea charts, and it requires a high degree of skill to create. Each point requires precision, and even the slightest mistake can ruin the symmetry of the star. This particular quilt has a repeating pattern of stars, which was popular during the 1830s to 1850s.

Why it matters: These quilts are rare due to age and damage during the Civil War. Quilts, including this one, were often used to wrap family valuables in to hide them from soldiers. This quilt, made by Mrs. Watkins, was buried along with their tea set on their Georgia plantation to hide them from the Union Army. Following the war, they dug their quilt up and moved to Malvern, AR.

This and more can be found at the Hot Spring County Museum!

01/09/2026

The Museum Minute
Object: World War I Liberty Loan "Honor Flag" Year: c. 1918

During World War I, the U.S. Treasury Department didn’t just need soldiers; they needed "silver bullets"—funding. To raise money, the government sold Liberty Bonds. This flag wasn't something you could just buy; it was earned. When a county like Hot Spring met or exceeded its sales quota for a Liberty Loan drive, they were awarded this "Honor Flag" to fly over the local courthouse or post office.

Why it matters: This flag represents a community that stepped up during a time of national crisis. For the people of 1918, seeing this flag flying meant that their neighbors had sacrificed their own savings to support the "boys "overseas."
Notice the three horizontal stripes. Each stripe represented a specific Liberty Loan drive. If a community went "over the top" in multiple drives, they would add blue stars to the white field.

Museum Fact: Because these flags were made of wool or cotton and flown outdoors in the Arkansas elements, very few survived in good condition. Having one in our collection is a testament to the preservation efforts of local families.

You can see this and more at the Hot Spring County Museum!

01/07/2026

Hello All!

We are excited about this new year, and we are working hard on creating new exhibits that display our county's rich history. We thank everyone who partnered with us last year, our volunteers, and the many visitors who walked through these doors. We are dedicated to serving our community, and we look forward to seeing you all again soon!

The video was made by an exchange student last year, Анара Анарбекова, who volunteered at the museum. She did a wonderful job!
The photos are from Trunk or Treat, Caroling and the Luminary event with the Hot Spring County Library and senior singers, as well as of staff members working on exhibits. We have made it a goal to post photos or videos from events, so be on the lookout.

12/18/2025

Hello all! We are preparing for luminary and caroling at the cabins. Looking forward to seeing everyone at 5:30. Thank you to the Master Gardeners who donated their time decorating for this event.

12/12/2025

Hello All!
Please join us at HSCM on December 18th for Christmas caroling at the cabins! The library is hosting a luminary at 5:30, and the museum will host singing of your favorite Christmas songs at our historic cabins at 6. Afterwards, the library will have hot chocolate and cookies. We are looking forward to seeing y’all there!

Address

302 East 3rd Street
Malvern, AR
72104

Opening Hours

Wednesday	12:30pm - 4:30pm
Thursday	12:30pm - 4:30pm
Friday	12:30pm - 4:30pm

Telephone

(501) 337-4775

Website

http://www.arkansas.com/attractions/detail.aspx?id=18799

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Hot Spring County Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Hot Spring County Museum:

Shortcuts

Address
Telephone
Opening Hours
Alerts
Contact The Museum
Claim ownership or report listing

Want your museum to be the top-listed Museum in Malvern?