November 8, 2012

Before its end in the mid-twentieth century, legal segregation of the races was a common practice throughout much of the United States. This is evidenced by the Pythian Bathhouse, constructed by the Knights of Pythias in 1914 on the site of the former Crystal Bathhouse (the previous bathhouse for African Americans, which had burned in 1913). At the time, it was the only bathing facility for black clients in Hot Springs (Garland County).