Monumental News: Harry Louis and Elsie Freund

The Eureka Springs Historical Cemetery would like to bring to the community a brief history pertaining to people who lay at rest in our cemetery. We want to encourage our community to learn more about the people who have built this town.

Today we’re going to tell you about a couple who were famous for their art and their teachings, Harry Louis Freund and his wife, Elsie Mari Bates Freund.  

Harry Louis and Elsie Freund have been credited for bringing the arts to Eureka Springs. Louis’ mother, cousin and uncle were artists his whole life — possibly being the inspiration behind Louis’ push to also become a wonderful artist. Harry Louis married Elsie in 1939, and they spent the following summers in Eureka Springs, establishing the Summer Art School of the Ozarks, which continued every summer for more than 10 years. 

 In the early 1930s Harry Louis traveled all through the Midwest, painting murals on bank buildings and post offices. Louis would compete for commissions to travel throughout Missouri and Arkansas to record the fading culture. If you look at some of his work, you will see his paintings depict a landscape scene of something happening. Such skills were useful once Harry was drafted for World War II. Being a conscientious objector, he was assigned to paint murals for the war department. He would also paint murals depicting what the recruits were to learn and what to do during the process of basic training. These murals were used for the illiterate recruits drafted for the war.   

Harry Louis’ wife, Elsie Freund, was a wonderful artist who has many beautiful pieces held in museums and private collections. In 1957 Elsie had developed her unique process for making jewelry; combining clay, glass and silver. She maintained a line of jewelry for sale in a New York City catalog for about seven years.  

Later in their lives, Mr. and Mrs. Freund retired and split their time between Little Rock and Eureka Springs. In 1967 they established the Eureka Springs Art Gallery, once again pioneering the artistic endeavors in our small town. These two artists had such a full life and provided such a unique and beautiful touch to this town. 

Their stories go far beyond what we could tell you here today. To learn more about the City of Eureka Springs Historic Cemetery and the people who lay at rest here, please consider coming to the symbolism tour at 11 a.m. every Saturday until the end of September. The walking tour is about an hour long. It will be a light walk through the cemetery grounds, discovering the story that the symbols tell the living. Please contact the cemetery sexton at 479-579-7372 for any inquiries regarding the cemetery and the tour.