OPINION

OLD NEWS: ‘Fireproof’ swimming pool Joyland made a splash in 1914 Little Rock

December 10, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. | Updated December 11, 2023 at 1:00 p.m.

by Celia Storey

With the Arkansas Guard called into service on the border with Mexico, "preparedness" was an obsession in Arkansas when this ad for Joyland in the July 19, 1916, Arkansas Democrat (Democrat-Gazette archives)
With the Arkansas Guard called into service on the border with Mexico, "preparedness" was an obsession in Arkansas when this ad for Joyland in the July 19, 1916, Arkansas Democrat (Democrat-Gazette archives)


A fireproof swimming pool burned to the ground in Little Rock 100 years ago this week.

A loss like that would be notable even today, when the city has pools to spare, counting all those squirrel catchers attached to private homes.

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