Join the Old State House Museum on Thursday, Sept. 19, from 12 to 1 p.m., as Tom Hill discusses the origins and history of Hot Springs National Park, the first area in the United States to be federally protected for its natural features, with a particular emphasis on the experiences of African Americans.

Tom Hill is the curator at Hot Springs National Park. Born and raised in Hot Springs, he earned a bachelor’s in physics from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a bachelor’s in history from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and a master’s in museum studies from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. He moved back to Hot Springs in 2011 after working for nine years as curator at Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Before working in public history, Hill spent 14 years in the aerospace industry.