Historical Fordyce Ricks Estate - Hot Springs, Arkansas - Winter 2018

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a historic district.

Built: 1904-1909
Architect: John Lawrence Mauran (St. Louis, MO)
Architectural style: Adirondack
Areas of significance: Architecture; Landscape Architecture; Military; Politics/Government; Transportation
Notable past owners:
- Samuel W. Fordyce (1840-1919) - prominent Ohio businessman who moved to Hot Springs in 1876 after benefiting from visits to the area's mineral springs. Once in Hot Springs, he and his family became instrumental in further developing the area into a tourist destination. Fordyce had a direct hand in the construction of hotels, recreational services, infrastructure and transportation systems. After a stint living in St. Louis to work in a new job as president of the Cotton Belt Railroad, Samuel Fordyce and his family returned to Hot Springs and retired to this estate, which they had built upon their return.
- General Earl Thornton Ricks - In 1937, the Fordyce family sold their estate to General Ricks, an accomplished pilot in the Air National Guard who flew missions overseas during World War II. On Ricks' return to Hot Springs in 1946, he was elected mayor of the town. In the ensuing years, Ricks advanced through the ranks of the Arkansas National Guard until he eventually became head of operations for the entire state. After Ricks' death in 1954 he was inducted into the American Aviation Hall of Fame.
Area: 37 acres
Structures:
- Fordyce-Ricks main house
- carriage house
- barn
- spring house
- guest house
- gazebo
Also known as: The Cabin; Fordyce Ricks Estate
Date added to NRHP: 10/31/2003
Other designations: U.S. Historic District

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