Discovering Eureka! | A Blog Series

A Blog Series | Chapter One

Eureka Springs is a historic city in Northwest Arkansas that sits nestled in the Ozark Mountains in Carroll County, USA. Eureka is a Greek word that means "I have found it!"

The population is approx. 2500 and The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named Eureka Springs as one of America's Distinctive Destinations and highlights Eureka as a premiere wedding destination.

Our small Victorian town has some beautiful architecture and stunning design features. Gingerbread houses and stonework that indicate the period of time when Eureka was being built. This exact spot is where Spring Street meets Center Street and it's quite picturesque.

Spring Street

Spring Street is one of the most popular streets in Arkansas. In 2010, it was named by the American Planning Association as one of America's Ten Best Streets. Spring Street is in the heart of Eureka Springs and offers a collection of local shops, restaurants, residences, lodging, boutiques, art galleries, and pubs.

Spring Street twists, curves, and meanders along a high bluff in northwestern Arkansas. At every turn it offers something worth taking in, whether a breathtaking vista of Ozark Mountain Country or a piece of street art like the half-ton Humpty Dumpty sculpture sitting atop a limestone wall. City of Eureka Springs publicist Ken Rundel says it all adds up to a street that makes "people stop, smile, and laugh."

A half-ton Humpty Dumpty sculpture sits atop a limestone wall south of downtown. Such street art is common along Eureka Springs and serves as a reminder of the street's eccentricity. Photo courtesy of Glenna Booth.

The Rainbow Stairs

The Rainbow Stairs

It’s often referred to by locals as the Cash and Boardman Mural because two submissions from Kyla Boardman and Kennedy Cash from the Eureka Springs High School Art Club were selected as the artwork. Muralist Doug Myerscough designed the mural by combining the winning works of the two young artists. This video is a light-hearted story of how it all came together. This video is another fun one to watch. The mural was created as part of the Up Project.

professional muralist, Doug Myerscough

The Up Project began with a simple stairwell and is emerging as a community within a community; artists, designers, volunteers and sponsors coming together to turn those stairs into a vibrant work of art. The drawings of students Kennedy Cash and Kyla Boardman were selected to transform stairs that connect North Main Street with Center Street in downtown Eureka Springs into a large-scale stunning mural. Professional muralist Doug Myerscough merged the works of Cash and Boardman into the final design, the results being reflective of our combined surrounding environments.

On Friday, May 29, 2015, The Up Project’s officially cut the ribbon revealing the staircase during Eureka Springs May Festival of the Arts at the Center & Spring Streets crosswalk.

The community of Eureka Springs appreciates the work and effort from The Up Project and thanks all of the contributing artists and sponsors, including The Eureka Springs High School Art Club and teacher Jessica Cummings, project initiator Steve Yip Vorbeck, professional muralist Doug Myerscough and the amazing volunteers.

Discovering Eureka is a series of chapters in a blog series where we seek to discover the unique things that make up Eureka Springs. There is so much to see, experience and explore here in Eureka Springs and in this series we will take time to give you the local perspective on what to do, where to go, what to see and how did this become something significant for our town. Take a moment to check out the different chapters in this blog series on www.iloveureka.com