A variety of delicious soups, provided by the some of the city’s finest restaurants, will be available. Along with two bowls of soup, you also get cornbread, a beverage and a choice of a delectable desert from a selection prepared by local Bed & Breakfast establishments. All of this for only $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for children under 12 years of age.

Tickets are available at the Museum at 95 S. Main St., the Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce office, from any Museum board member or at the door. For more information contact the Museum Director, Ginni Miller, at  479/253-9417 or eshm999@sbcglobal.net.

Meant to entertain rather than scare, the “living” history tour features live actors in period costumes playing the roles of early citizens of Eureka Springs reminiscing about their past. Some of the characters were pillars of the community and some were figures whose colorful, outrageous or scandalous behavior helped shape the history and the myths of the town. This year’s cast of “citizens” include several from Eureka’s rich past in the arts.  Artists, photographers, a singer, the founder of the Garden Club, among others.

Volunteers in period clothing host and lead the tours. This is an approximately one hour walking tour that includes 5 minute stops with each “citizen.” Tours are scheduled to start around 5:30 p.m. and will leave every twenty minutes, the last one ending at 8:30 p.m. After dusk, participants will be led by guides with lanterns, the path will be softly illuminated with garden lights and torches will mark the way all creating an atmosphere befitting the tales.

A limited number of seats will be along the path and at the speakers’ locations for those who need to rest a spell. After the the last stop, light refreshments will be available.

Tickets, $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 years old and under, with free parking & shuttle service.

The Voices from Eureka’s Silent City tour, named the Outstanding Historical Event in 2009 by the Eureka Springs Preservation Society, promises history lessons from those who lived it and a truly memorable and entertaining experience. The saga is just beginning. The town cemetery holds hundreds of fascinating stories waiting to be told.  Last years attendees, over 1,100, were so taken and the event has become so popular it has become an annual event, this being the third.

The tour is a fundraising project of the members of the Eureka Springs Historical Museum. Proceeds are used to finance daily operations, special exhibits and on-going restoration projects.

For more information, call the Museum at 479/253-9417 or email info@eurekaspringshistoricalmuseum.org

Veterans Day, or Armistice Day, commemorates the signing of the treaty that took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 that ended “the war to end all wars.” The following year, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th to be the day that our nation pauses to honor the heroism of those who died in the service of our country fighting for our freedom.

The Eureka Springs Historical Museum will have a special display, “In Remembrance of Our Veterans on 11/11/11” featuring photos and memorabilia of those brave individuals from this area who have served our country in wars and conflicts from the Civil War to the present.

Veterans and friends are invited to tour the Museum and view the exhibits free of charge that day. Refreshments will be served.
Calif Spring is located next door to the Museum at 95 Spring Street. The Veteran’s exhibit will continue through November.

The Historical Museum wants to THANK all the volunteers who played the parts of the past “citizens”, acted as guides, wrote the scripts, sold tickets, help stage the event, provided refreshments, equipment, costumes and props, drove the vans, baked cookies, manned the hospitality table, ticket table and parking lot, designed and distributed posters, tent and rack cards and photographed and videotaped the “citizens.”

We also are extremely grateful to the City Advertising & Promotion Commission, The Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, KESA, KUAF, AETN, the Lovely County Citizen, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and Hart’s grocery store who all helped to spread the word and to Faith Christian Fellowship Church and Eureka Van Tours for the use of their vans and to Jimmy Jones Construction for providing lighting.

A very special THANK YOU to CORNERSTONE BANK for sponsoring the event, to our advertisers and to the over 1,000 of you who purchased tickets and took part in the tours.

Proceeds from this event provide daily operating income for the Eureka Springs Historical Museum and its programs. We invite you to visit the Museum and see our recent improvements and exhibits.

Shown in the photo are from left to right: Sara Armellini, Board Vice-President, Jim Walden, Board Member and son of Joada Walden, and Ginni Miller, Museum Director.

Warren, owner of Perkins Lumber for many years, was a volunteer whose expertise in the building trades was a valuable asset to the Museum in the care of the 1889 Calif Building which houses the Museum; he also served on the Board of Directors. Eugenia was instrumental in the initial stages of the formation of the Museum and in the organization and collection of artifacts.

The memorial donations will be used to create a new exhibit to highlight the building heritage of the Historic District, part of the Museum’s First Floor renovation project.

In the early 1880’s, those who came here to partake of the healing waters of the numerous springs began to put down roots. They were people of faith who, not having access to or faith in hospitals, doctors or patent medicines, put their assurance in God and natural sources of healing. Some likened the springs in this area to the miraculous waters of the Pool of Siloam.

Traveling evangelists soon arrived and, as they gathered around the springs for worship services, they used the spring waters to heal and baptize their flocks. These newly organized congregations quickly began to build their houses of worship and, at one point in its rich and colorful history, Eureka Springs was known as the “City of Churches.”

As a young adult, Betty became involved in the arts. First in music during her school years and later her interest moved toward visual arts. Her daughter, Toni Albers said “as far back as I can remember as a little girl, I could identify the smell of turpentine in our house. My mother began painting with oils most likely before I was born.” Later, Betty attended watercolor classes taught by Dolph Smith at the Memphis Academy of Art. She was enamored by the freedom of watercolor and began painting with them almost exclusively for several years, returning to the oils only on occasion.

Betty and Tony Maffei moved to Eureka Springs from Memphis, TN in the late 1970’s, Betty became active in the local art guild and made friends with many of the artists of Eureka. She was always interested in attending openings for other artist’s shows and was very supportive of their work. Betty’s paintings were hung in various places around town over the years such as the Courthouse in Eureka and the Mud Street Cafe. Betty gave away more of her paintings than she ever had on display anywhere. She was just that way.

In the 1980’s, Betty became more involved with photography as a medium and was naturally drawn toward photographing others in the art world. She loved people and people watching, so she began to photograph them. From that, this collection evolved. What started with a few photographs of some of her friends like famed art legends of Eureka Springs, Louis and Elsa Freund, grew into a mission to document as many artists of the area as possible.

The images have only been previously shown twice, once at Zarks Gallery and later at Community First Bank. They will now be a part of the permanent art collection of the Museum.

Betty Maffei passed away on June 18, 2010. Her family stated that “we are honored that these images will be among the first shown in the new art gallery of the Historical Museum.”

The exhibit will be up the entire month and there will be a reception in her honor at the Museum on Wednesday, May 4 from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. The museum, located at 95 S. Main Street, is open 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information contact museum director, Ginni Miller, at 479/253-9417.

The numerous “healing” springs in the area, long visited by Native Americans, became known to the rest of the world in the late 1800s and quickly became a mecca for those seeking relief and cures for their various afflictions. Almost overnight, the population grew to over 10,000 and soon there were hotels, boarding houses, doctors, lawyers, brothels, funeral homes, general stores, snake oil salesmen, churches, and the spa city was born. As with most boomtowns, the population was a diverse mix of personalities.

Although the population has diminished since those days, the eccentricity of the residents has endured. Eureka has remained a complex stew of passionate and unique individuals creating a wealth of material for the Voices’ cast. Selected “citizens” of the Silent City have been asked to share their stories.

Meant to entertain rather than scare, the “living” history tour features live actors in period costumes playing the roles of early citizens of Eureka Springs reminiscing about their past. Some of the characters were pillars of the community and some were figures whose colorful, outrageous or scandalous behavior helped shape the history and the myths of the town.

Volunteers in period clothing host and lead the tours. This is an approximately one hour walking tour that includes 5 minute stops with each “citizen.” Tours are scheduled to start around 5:30 p.m. and will leave every twenty minutes, the last one ending at 8:00 p.m. After dusk, participants will be led by guides with lanterns if necessary.

A limited number of seats will be along the path and at the speakers’ locations for those who need to rest a spell. After the the last stop, light refreshments will be available.

Tickets, $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 years old and under, may be purchased at Cornerstone Bank, Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Museum and at the event. Free parking and shuttle service will be available at Eastgate Shopping Center located on Highway 62 East across from Passion Play Road.

The Voices from Eureka’s Silent City tour, named the Outstanding Historical Event in 2009 by the Eureka Springs Preservation Society, promises history lessons from those who lived it and a truly memorable and entertaining experience.

The saga is just beginning. The town cemetery holds hundreds of fascinating stories waiting to be told. The tour is a fundraising project of the members of the Eureka Springs Historical Museum. Proceeds are used to finance daily operations, special exhibits and on-going restoration projects. The all new 2011 fall tour is scheduled for two weekends in October, the 14th & 15th and 28th & 29th.

For more information, call the Museum at 479/253-9417 or email info@eurekaspringshistoricalmuseum.or