Crystal River Tourist Camp

United States historic place


Crystal River Tourist Camp
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district


35°56′36″N 91°32′52″W / 35.94333°N 91.54778°W / 35.94333; -91.54778
Area	2.2 acres (0.89 ha)
Built by	Prince Matlock
Architectural style	Ozark fieldstone
NRHP reference No.	91000620^[1]
Added to NRHP	June 6, 1991

Crystal River Tourist Camp (formerly Crystal River Cave Court, today Cave Courts Motel) is a motor inn built in 1932 in Cave City, Arkansas. It is the oldest operating motor court in the state.^[2] It is built of fieldstones from the Ozarks.

History

Prince Matlock built the motel in 1932 by setting thousands of rocks from the area. He used geodes and quartz as decorative rocks and created many designs of crosses and animals to add to the rock walls. Underneath the motel is a large cave for which Cave City is named.^[3] The subterranean Crystal River runs through the cave's five chambers.

Today

The motel was abandoned for several years before being purchased and restored. It is now reopened as the Cave Courts Motel.^[3]

Tourist Camp sign
Fieldstone building detail

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ "Cave Courts Motel - The Oldest Motor Court in Arkansas". American Profile. December 23, 2000. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
^ ^a ^b DeLano, Patti (2005). Off the Beaten Path, Arkansas (9th ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Morris Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7627-4856-3. ISSN 1537-0550.