Government Free Baths
The Government free bathhouse for the indigent was established by Congress on December 16, 1878. The Ral Hole mudpit and pool were closed, and later the first Government Free Bathhouse operated at the site.
During the 1880s a few of the open springs gradually dried up. Corn Hole, a popular spring for people to soak their feet, dried up in 1882. Other open springs were either covered over by the government or the bathhouse owners to prevent their pollution.
Nearly 100,000 baths a year were given to the poor. Applicants for free baths were required to make an oath that they were without and unable to obtain means to pay for the baths, with violations being a misdemeanor subject to fine and/or imprisonment. Tickets were issued to those who, after examination, were found to be suffering from diseases which were reasonably expected to be benefited from the baths.
A new bathhouse was built in 1904, with separate facilities for black and white patrons. The materials used in construction were of poor quality. A new bathhouse was built off the reservation, and it opened in 1922.
The Government free bathhouse was a concrete building fully equipped for bathing large numbers of people under sanitary conditions. In 1878 the Army and Navy opened a free dispensary on the second floor, which remained open for two years. In 1916 the Public Health Service opened a clinic for the examination and treatment of indigents taking the free baths.
The Park Service reminded people that they had to provide their own board and lodging and to have return travel fare, due to many destitute invalids who arrived each year with the mistaken the belief that there was a public institution at which they would be cared for free of charge.
The free bathhouse closed in 1957, when it was much more economical to have the few indigent customers distributed among the commercial bathhouses. The poor applied at park headquarters and upon approval by a physician were sent to a participating bathhouse, which was reimbursed by the government.
Read more about this topic: Hot Springs National Park
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