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[The Demolition of the First Baptist Church, 3 of 11: East View]
The second home of the congregation of the First Baptist Church was built in 1920. It was used until 1967, when it was demolished. The current First Baptist Church is the third one built in the same location. Please see Number 1 of this collection for details.
[The Demolition of the First Baptist Church, 2 of 11: Another Angle]
The first house of worship of the congregation of First Baptist Church, located in the southwest corner of the Crazy Well block, was purchased in 1883 and was used until 1900. The First Baptist Church was re-located to the corner of W. Hubbard and Pecan Street (now SE 4th Avenue) in 1900, and used until 1967.
[The Demolition of the First Baptist Church, 1 of 11: Wood Pile and Building]
The third building of the First Baptist Church was built in 1920; it was used until 1967, at which time it was demolished for the current building. The First Baptist church was originally located in a frame building on the southwest corner of the Crazy block in 1883. A second church was built at the corner of SW 4th Avenue and West Hubbard Street, facing SW 4th Avenue. It was a frame building with two steeples. A brick church, facing Hubbard Street, was erected to accommodate the congregation in 1920. These photographs illustrate the demolition of this building. The present church was erected in 1967 at the corner of SW 4th Avenue and SW 1st Street.
[Lake Mineral Wells, 4 of 4: The Spillway]
Shown here is the lower end of the spillway from Lake Mineral Wells after the flood in March 1976. The dam is barely visible at the upper end of the spillway in the middle of the picture. The road directly below the dam is under water, and is not visible in any other pictures of this flood. It suffered such severe damage that it had to be rebuilt.
[Lake Mineral Wells, 2 of 4]
The dam of Lake Mineral Wells is shown here during a flood, March 1976. A large area of Palo Pinto and Parker counties received heavy rains (up to 7.2 inches in places) during a three-day period. The road directly below the dam was entirely under water, and the effect of water flowing over the road is barely visible. Heavy damage was also reported over a substantial part of the City of Mineral Wells as a result of the downpour.
[Lake Mineral Wells, 1 of 4, Flood Stage]
Lake Mineral Wells, Mineral Wells State Park, is shown here in flood stage. Heavy spring rains dumped 7.2 inches of rainfall into the area over a violent week-end in March 1976, resulting in a flood that claimed 24 lives in fire- and water-related incidents. The dam is visible on the far left side of the picture, with water flowing over it. Flood waters cover a large part of the land between the photographer and the dam. The public boat ramp and fueling station are on the peninsula at the far right side of the picture. The picture is part of a group of films labeled "1977", but related news articles give the date as March of the previous year.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 10 of 15: Inside View of Store]
A photograph of Will Poston and a cashier inside Poston Dry Goods store, 107 N. Oak Avenue, Mineral Wells, Texas. [Will Poston is in cashier's/accountant's office. The cashier is preparing to pull a cord to set the cash trolley system in motion Piles of trousers take up the foreground] A central cashier's stand was what is now known as "state of the art" near the middle of twentieth century. This one was located in a corner of the mens' trousers department. The historic Poston store is now a Mineral Wells annex of the Palo Pinto County courthouse.
[The Crazy Crystal Bottling Plant]
A picture of the interior of the Crazy Bottling Plant, ladies are shown bottling Crazy Fiz, a copyrighted beverage created by infusing cooled mineral water with carbon dioxide. The men shown here appear to be checking the process in preparation for the bottling of the Crazy Fiz, while the ladies bottle and crate the finished product for shipment. Note the plant's scrupulous cleanliness, and the fact that all employees are dressed in white.
[Crazy Crystals]
Men and women are shown here packaging Crazy Water Crystals. Mineral water was evaporated, and the resulting crystal deposits were gathered and packaged in various sizes for shipment throughout the United States. Written on back of this photograph is: "Pkg Crazy Crystals 1930's" and the name "Buster."
[Crazy Fiz]
Products were developed to satisfy the public's search for health during the heyday of the Mineral Wells Health Industry. One of these was Crazy Fiz. Carbon dioxide was infused into mineral water under pressure to create a "Sparkling water" drink labeled "Crazy Fiz." The women in this photograph of the Crazy Water Crystal plant are packaging the Crazy Fiz for distribution. On the back of the photograph is printed "Crazy Fiz 1930's."
[The Demolition of the Convention Hall--1 of 5: Front View]
The metal framework of the Mineral Wells Convention Hall is all that it readily visible during its demolition in 1975/1976. Built on the rock foundation of the Electric Plant that Galbraith had erected in order (Unsuccessfully, it is guessed) to light the city. The Convention Hall was built for the West Texas Chamber of Commerce Convention in 1925. It served as the site of numerous local functions including High School Graduation Exercises. The landmark Hexagon Hotel, Mineral Wells' first electrically-lighted hotel, stood on the vacant corner lot in the left foreground of this picture from 1897 to 1959.
[The Demolition of the Convention Hall, 2 of 5: From a Block Away]
This photograph was taken at an early stage of the demolition of the Mineral Wells Convention Hall on N. Oak Avenue. Built in 1925 to accommodate the West Texas Chamber of Commerce Convention, it was constructed on the rock foundation of the electric power plant built by the owner of the Hexagon Hotel to light the city (presumably with DC electricity). The Hexagon Hotel, Mineral Wells' first electrically-lighted hotel, stood on the vacant corner lot in the foreground of this picture. It was torn down in 1959. When the Convention Hall was torn down in 1975, a member of the demolition crew said the new owner of the former London Bridge (to be re-erected at Havasu City in Arizona)was interested in acquiring the rocks to build the foundation for a fort to be constructed at the same site. (One local story credits that interest in the foundation stones as the reason for the demolition of the Convention Hall.)
[The Construction Site of the Mineral Wells Savings and Loan, 3 of 3: The East Side of the Construction]
This series of photographs of the construction of Mineral Wells Savings and Loan was taken in 1975. Demolition of the Howard Building began March 17, 1975, to make room for the Savings and Loan. D.M. Howard was the first of five brothers to arrive from North Carolina. He later sent for his other brothers to establish the Howard Brothers Department Stores complex in the early 1900's. The Baker Hotel, directly across E. Hubbard north of the Savings and Loan, is seen to the left of the picture. Across SE 1st Street, to the south, were the Piggly Wiggly Grocery store (at the site of Mineral Wells' first Post Office) and the S & H Green Stamp store. The First State Bank now [2012] occupies this entire city block.
[The Construction Site of the Mineral Wells Savings and Loan, 2 of 3: A Piggy Wiggly Is in the Background]
The construction of the Mineral Wells Savings and Loan, at 101 SE 1st Avenue in 1975, was documented in this series of photographs. The Howard Building, the first of the complex of Howard Brothers Department Stores, had been built on this location in the early 1900's. Demolition of the Howard Building began March 17, 1975, to make room for the Savings and Loan. The Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store (at the site of Mineral Wells' first Post Office) and the Green Stamp Store are visible across SE 1st Avenue, south of the Savings and Loan. The new First State State currently covers the entire city block at this location.
[The Construction Site of the Mineral Wells Savings and Loan, 1 of 3, The Baker Hotel is in the Background]
This series of photographs was taken in 1975, during the construction of the Mineral Wells Savings and Loan at 101 SE 1st Avenue. The Howard Brothers Department Store was an early occupant of the site. Demolition of the Howard Building began March 17, 1975 to make room for the Savings and Loan. A new First State Bank currently [2011] occupies this entire city block. A good view of the south side of the Baker Hotel is visible in the background.
[Time Was, 1st Edition, Auction, 2 of 8, A. F. Weaver]
This picture shows Ed Ford, standing before the picture he had painted of Mineral Wells' First Public School. It was built in 1884, and restored in 1975 by The Mineral Wells Heritage Association as a museum to preserve the history of the city.
[Time Was, 1st Edition, Auction, 4 of 8, Reverend Mr. Bobby Moore Auctioneer ]
The auction of copies of the first Edition of "Time Was in Mineral Wells," by A. F. Weaver, was held at the "Little Rock Schoolhouse." The auctioneer, the Reverend Bobby Moore, is asking for bids on a copy in this picture. The author, A. F. Weaver, stands between the windows to the auctioneer's right.
[Time Was, 1st Edition, Auction, 3 of 8, Reverend Mr. Bobby Moore]
The picture shows the auctioneer, the Reverend Mr. Bobby Moore, acknowledging a bid on a First Edition print of A. F. Weaver's "Time Was in Mineral Wells." To the auctioneer's right is author A. F. Weaver. The author's wife, Patsy, is standing in the window to the author's right.
[Time Was, 1st Edition, Auction, 8 of 8, Auctioneer]
The auction of copies of the first edition of "Time Was in Mineral Wells..." by A. F. Weaver, held at the "Little Rock Schoolhouse." This picture shows the auctioneer, the Reverend Mr. Bobby Moore, with the autographed Copy Number 1. Author A.F. Weaver looks on in the background.
[Time Was, 1st Edition, Auction, 1 of 8, Mayor H. Authur Zappe ]
When the book, "Time Was in Mineral Wells," First Edition, by A. F. Weaver was published in 1975, the first ten copies were autographed by the author and auctioned to the highest bidder. The auction was held at the "Little Rock Schoolhouse", and shows Mayor H. Arthur Zappe addressing the crowd in attendance at the auction.
[A Piano Recital, 10 of 10]
The pianist, Ina Howard Ramsey, seems to be announcing her next selection to the audience of a piano recital given August 28, 1975.The event took place in the Fellowship Hall of First Presbyterian church. The recital was held about the same time as the auction of the first ten copies of A.F. Weaver's book "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells . . . .", and Mr. Weaver photographed both events. Mrs. Ramsey was an artiste as well as a pianist, and she displayed some of her art work as well as playing the piano. Mrs. Ramsey, though born in Mineral Wells in 1896 to parents who were owners of the Star House (a boarding house), was visiting Mineral Wells from her home in Oklahoma at the time of this photograph.
[A Piano Recital, 9 of 10]
Taken from a roll of film labeled, "Ima Howard Ramsey", this series of pictures seems to have covered a combination piano recital/art sale. This picture is of the pianist, Ima Howard Ramsey, visiting with some of the younger members of the audience following the recital.
[A Piano Recital, 8 of 10]
An image taken from a roll of film labeled, "Ina Howard Ramsey." Mrs. Ramsey is shown signing Jo Losen's copy of "Time Was..." Art work in this picture seems to indicate the event was a combination piano recital and sale of Mrs. Ramsey's art work.
[A Piano Recital, 7 of 10]
A picture taken from from a roll of film labeled, "Ina Howard Ramsey." The label with this roll of pictures, along with others in this series, shows Ina Howard Ramsey, the pianist, greeting Jo Losen, the Layout and Artwork Editor of "Time Was...", after her performance. Art exhibits along the wall in this picture, along with a stack of books in another photograph in this series, suggests a piano recital may have been part of a combination piano recital/art show/book sale.
[Piano Recital, 6 of 10]
This picture was taken from a roll of film labeled, "Ina Howard Ramsey." The photograph seems to be of a registration table at a piano recital featuring Mrs. Ramsey. The table in the background contains art work. Other pictures in this series indicate that an art show was held in conjunction with the piano recital.
[A Piano Recital, 5 of 10]
This photograph, along with nine others, was taken from a roll of film labeled, "Ina Howard Ramsey." Thelma Doss, a local radio personality and historian, is pictured with the pianist in this photograph. The recital was given in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian church.
[A Piano Recital, 4 of 10]
This photograph is taken from a roll of film labeled, "Ina Howard Ramsey." Mrs. Ramsey gave a piano recital in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian church on August 28, 1975 as an entertainment for the Mineral Wells Heritage Association. Mr. Weaver photographed this event, as well as the auction of his book. Mrs. Ramsey was born in Mineral Wells. Her parents owned the Star House--a boarding house--at what was then 315 Coke Street, but is now [2008] 315 NW 2nd Street.
[A Piano Recital, 2 of 10]
According to the notes that accompanied this series of negatives, a piano recital was held about the same time as the auction of Mr. Weaver's book, "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells..." Mr. Weaver photographed both events. The piano recital was given in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian church. Ina Howard Ramsey is the pianist. Mrs. Ramsey was visiting her native home of Mineral Wells at the time.
[A Piano Recital, 3 of 10]
This photograph was taken from a roll of film labeled, "Ina Howard Ramsey." The note included in this series of pictures suggests that a piano recital was held about the same time as the auction of Mr. Weaver's book. Mr. Weaver photographed both events. The site of the recital was the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian church. Ina Howard Ramsey is the pianist. The recital was an entertainment for the Mineral Wells Heritage Association.
[A Piano Recital, 1 of 10]
A photograph of a piano recital, from a roll of film labeled "Ina Howard Ramsey." Mrs. Ramsey's parents once operated the former Star Boarding House on NW 2nd Street. She is shown playing an upright piano at the base of a stage in the First Presbyterian church's Fellowship Hall.
[The Crazy Flats and First Crazy Hotel]
A view of early Mineral Wells from East Mountain shows the Crazy Flats in the foreground, and the first Crazy Hotel at the left, at the rear of it. The small building at the right, rear of the Crazy Flats housed the "Crazy Woman's Well" that contributed the generic "Crazy Water" name to the local mineral water. Crazy Flats, the second Crazy Drinking Pavilion with "Rooms for Rent" on the second floor, was built in 1909. The first Crazy Hotel was built in two sections: The first section, at the left rear of Crazy Flats, was built in 1912, and the second section, left of it, was built in 1914, and joined to the first with a common lobby. The low building to the left of Crazy Flats and in front of the Hotel was the Crazy Bath House and Drugstore. A fire started in the drugstore March 15, 1925, and destroyed the entire city block. The second Crazy Hotel, covering this entire city block, opened in 1927. The original Crazy Well is now situated in the sidewalk at the northwest corner of the Hotel with a cover over it. The second Crazy Hotel is now [2008] a Retirement Home. It was forcibly closed down in 2010. Also visible in the picture above the "Crazy" Complex and below the gap between West Mountain and South Mountain are the "Old High School", the "Little Rock School" and the Fourth Ward School. Four blocks behind and above the Hotel in the picture, the domed First Presbyterian Church is visible midway between the "Crazy Block" and the schools. The Roman Catholic church with its white steeple is at the far upper right, and the second Carlsbad Pavilion is across First Avenue, directly to the west (right rear) of the Crazy Flats.
[The Crazy Hotel Lobby]
This picture shows the First Crazy Hotel Lobby in 1913. The first Crazy Hotel was built in two sections; the first section, which contained this lobby, was built in 1912. The second section was added in 1914, and joined to the first with the two sections sharing this same sky-lighted lobby. A fire on March 15, 1925 destroyed the first Crazy Hotel along with all the other businesses in this block. The second Crazy Hotel, covering the entire city block, opened in 1927. It is now [2008] a retirement home. It was shut down--after much contention--in 2010.
[The Crazy Hotel Pavilion]
A handwritten note on the back of the picture identifies this as "Crazy Hotel Pavilion 1940 Cigar Stand and Shine Stand." Please notice Leon Cross, the "Shoe-shine boy", who operated the stand for years, in the white shirt to the left of the Shine Stand. This pavilion is off the hotel lobby, behind and west of the elevators of the second Crazy Hotel. A fire started March 15, 1925, in the drugstore next to the bath house of the first Crazy Hotel which adjoined the Crazy Flats (second Crazy Pavilion). The fire destroyed all the businesses in this city block. The second Crazy Hotel opened in 1927, and incorporated all of the previous enterprises into one building covering the entire city block. The drinking bar, from which Boyce Ditto served mineral water for many years, is at the opposite end of the pavilion, left of the shoe-shine and Cigar Stand, with its striped awning. In its heyday during the health-spa era of the "City built on Water," the bar served four different strengths of mineral water. The bar is still in existence today although inactive. The mezzanine around the drinking pavilion was lined with offices, primarily those of doctors.
[Inside of the Crazy Water Bottling Plant]
Handwriting on the back of this photograph identifies it as "Crazy Fiz 1930s" It is a section of the Crazy Water Bottling Plant, where carbon dioxide appears to have been added to the mineral water in order to compete with the popular soft drinks of the era. Note the bottling machine in the right foreground of the picture. Women are packing the carbonated "fizz water" for shipment.
[The First Crazy Hotel and Crazy Flats]
A view of the Crazy Flats and first Crazy Hotel, as seen from East Mountain, is shown here. The Crazy Flats, at the right middle of the picture, was the second Crazy Drinking Pavilion--also with Rooms for Rent--was built in 1909. One feature of the Flats was "Peacock Alley", where the men gathered on Sundays to watch the ladies parade and show off the latest fashions in female gear. The first Crazy Hotel is to the left rear of the Flats; the first section of the Hotel, on the right, was built in 1912, and the second section, on the left, to its left, was built in 1914 and connected to the first with a common lobby. The Crazy Bath house adjoined Crazy Flats on the left, and a drugstore was located in the left corner of the Bath house building. A fire, starting in the drugstore on March 15, 1925, burned the entire block, sparing only the small building housing the first Crazy Pavilion (the right rear of the Flats.) The current (second) Crazy Hotel opened in 1927, and replaced all of the former businesses in this block.
[Mr. and Mrs. R.S. Dalton]
"Mr. & Mrs. R.S. Dalton on their 50th Wedding Anniversary as held in the second wooden structure of the First Baptist Church. Presiding is The Reverend Mr. Harlan Matthews." Robert (Bob) Dalton's father, Marcus L. Dalton, was killed by Indians on the Ft. Worth-Ft. Belknap military road in northeastern Palo Pinto County in 1870. Bob Dalton discovered the Dalton Oil Field on his ranch in north central Palo Pinto County, and the boom town that sprang up there was named Dalton City after him. He later moved to southwest Mineral Wells before building a large home, adorned with native rock, on 2101 NW 4th Avenue.
[The Calvary Baptist Church]
The Calvary Baptist Church was originally located at 708 SE 5th Street. This picture was taken in 1975, shortly before the building was torn down and replaced by a more modern facility. Both the red-brick-trimmed native rock church and parsonage suffered substantial structural deterioration, which necessitated replacement. This series of pictures was probably taken for both a pictorial history of the old church, as well as photographic evidence of the deterioration of the structure that warranted its destruction and replacement. The new church, at this same location, now faces SE 6th Avenue.
[The Thurber Tipple and Thurber Monument]
Photograph of buildings in Thurber, Texas, taken from a parking lot. A gasoline station is on the left; it has a second story serving as an overhang as well as a taller platform with a railing and the words "Thurber Tipple" written near the roof. A car is parked at the gasoline station and a couple is looking inside the engine. The Thurber smokestack is visible near the center of the photograph and several unidentified buildings are on the left. Three other cars are parked on the left side of the photograph.
[Panoramic Photograph of Mineral Wells]
Panoramic photograph of Mineral Wells taken from Southwest Mountain looking southeast. The ice plant is visible in the right center of this picture, but other landmarks have not been identified.
[Downtown Mineral Wells, Texas : January 11, 1919]
Downtown Mineral Wells, Texas is shown here, as taken on January 11, 1919. The first Crazy Hotel is the prominent building in the right middle portion of the picture. The first Roman Catholic Church can be seen on the side of West Mountain in the upper middle of the picture and the old High School, the "Little Rock School", and the West Ward School are at the base of West Mountain in the far upper left part of the picture. The Dr. A.W. Thompson home is at the foot of East Mountain in the lower middle foreground of the picture. The wide street in the left middle of the picture is NW 2nd Street, looking west. The First Presbyterian Church is the domed building on the right of 2nd Street at NW 4th Avenue, near the far end of NW 2nd Street.
[The Milling Sanatorium]
Dr. H. H. Milling was the first of Mineral Wells' "rubbin' doctors." He operated the Mineral Wells Sanatorium at 315 NW 1st Avenue before building this sanitarium in the 2500 block of SE 6th Avenue - the old Millsap Highway) about 1929. The building was later sold and renamed Irvine Sanitarium. It now [2010] belongs to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, is located at 1400 SE VFW Highway (a branch of SE 6th Avenue), and houses VFW Post 2399. Dr. Milling also owned 60 acres on Pollard Creek in north Mineral Wells that were donated to the state of Texas to use as a State Park, which became SP8. During the Great Depression of the 1930's, the WPA and the CCC made several additions to that park to improve its recreational value: Bridges, a small dam, steps up the mountain, restrooms, etc., all using native sandstone. When Milling Park was determined by the state to be surplus property, it was deeded to the city and later renamed North City Park.
[A Group of men at Inspiration Point]
A group of businessmen and ranchers are shown at Inspiration Point in the 1920's. From left, they are (unknown); Mr. Henry Penix; Mr. Bowman; Mssrs. Henry and Charlie Fowler. Note the spurs on the boots of the Fowlers, and the cigars in the hands of Mssrs. Penix and Bowman. Inspiration Point, overlooking the Brazos in Southeast Palo Pinto County about ten miles south of Mineral Wells, commands a vast panoramic view of the rugged river valley stretching for miles below the viewer. It was a noted scenic attraction during the heyday of one of America's most popular health resorts. Inspiration Point is not available to the general public at this time, as it is located on private property.
[The Carlsbad Well: Second Building]
Shown here is a picture of the second Carlsbad Well building, as it appeared around 1915. The stained (or painted) glass windows are shown installed, and the "Ben Hur" street car tracks have been removed. This picture appears in Weaver, A. F., "TIME WAS ...", 1st Edition, on page 63. The original Carlsbad Pavilion was on the northeast corner of NW 1st Avenue and NW 6th Street, directly across the street west of the Crazy Drinking Pavilion. The Mineral Wells Lakewood Park Scenic Railway provided a gasoline-powered motor car, a "Dinky Car", which provided service every 1/4 hour to Lake Pinto from 1903 to 1909. The "Ben Hur" was the last and largest of the "Dinky Cars" whose tracks, on NW 1st Street, passed the Carlsbad pavilion and turned west on NW 6th Street. The El Paso Morning Times of 1909 reports that the construction of the second Texas Carlsbad building will cost about $40,000. The equivalent sum in modern dollars is not known. The new building was to be "50 x 130 feet. It will be fire proof [sic] and steam heat [sic]." The building was taken over by the Crazy Hotel for the Crazy Laundry and Dry Cleaning after the drinking pavilion was closed in the 1930's.
[The Calvary Baptist Church in 1975]
The Calvary Baptist Church, as it appeared in 1975, is shown here. Note the combined use of native stone and brick and the lack of a peaked roof. The upper part of the windows appear to be stained (or painted) glass. This one of a series of pictures of the church and parsonage, showing structural damage prior to their demolition. This native rock and red brick church faced south on SE 5th Street, and the white brick structure which replaced it is built on the same city block but faces west on SE 6th Avenue.
[ A Close-up of Calvary Baptist Parsonage]
This home was the parsonage of Calvary Baptist Church in 1975, according to a note on back of the picture. Note the brick crosses worked into the stone-work above the front door and on the chimney. The picture also shows some structural cracks in the native sandstone rockery above the entrance and window, probably indicating foundation damage. There are also some weathered holes in the structurally-sound, but odd, limestone rocks used in construction.
[A Buggy in Front of Presbyterian Church]
A copy of this picture is found in A. F. Weaver's, "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells", Second Edition", on page 188. The caption states "Cumberland Presbyterian Church at 901 North Oak Avenue." Note the surrey with the fringe on top. The person in the buggy has been identified as Mrs. Flora Howard, daughter of William Winfield Hayworth "Howard", the minister of the church. Howard owned a hardware store, going under the name "W.W. Howard." He is also listed as a member of the I.O.O.F. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church takes its name from Cumberland Street, Pennsylvania, where the sub-denomination (more Arminian than the main denomination) was founded. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is currently [2014] in Newberry, Texas. The building was sold to the Church of Christ, torn down and rebuilt. The North Oak Church of Christ still stands [in 2011] at this location, 901 N. Oak Ave. The picture is reliably dated to have been taken in 1912.
[A Mayor's Granddaughter on a Donkey]
A copy of this photograph may be found in A. F. Weaver's, "TIME WAS In Mineral Wells", First Edition, on page 151. The caption reads, "Mary Berta Perry, granddaughter of Mayor Laverty, 1908." Jim Laverty was the first City Marshall of Mineral Wells. He was elected mayor when the City was first incorporated in 1882. The first incorporation was defeated by vote in 1894, and Mineral Wells was reincorporated with G.C. Green as the first elected mayor. This picture was the style of souvenir photograph which local photographer J. C. McClure, first owner of the donkeys, took on an East Mountain path frequented by visitors. Mr. McClure was killed while riding a wild stallion on Oak Avenue. J. L. Young and his wife later owned the photography studio and the donkeys. They later built a log cabin as a scenic backdrop at a photograph stop where the donkey trail crossed a footpath up West Mountain.
[Mineral Wells' First Police Department]
Mineral Wells' first Police Department is shown on horseback here. On the far left is Jim Barrett, Chief, and in the middle is Paul Granbury. The man on the right remains unknown. This photograph comes from A. F. Weaver's, "TIME WAS In Mineral Wells", page 153. The picture appears to have been taken at the photographer's souvenir picture stand on the donkey trail about halfway up East Mountain. J. C. McClure, an early photographer, first owned the donkeys for the trail; but he was killed while riding a wild stallion on Oak Avenue. J. L. Young and his wife took over the photographer's stand. They built a rock house, here as a background, for souvenir pictures. In 1895, a policeman (C.M. Harris) was appointed as City Marshall." A night watchman (A. Scott) was also appointed. Their respective duties were primarily fire prevention and keeping livestock from roaming the streets; and seeing to it that businesses were properly locked up. Boys under the age of 17 were forbidden from roaming the streets at night (under pain of a $10 fine). C.M. Harris was elected to his position in 1896, at a salary of $60 per month. In 1889, upon the sudden death of Frank Johnson, Harris was appointed Interim Marshall to "Inspect and supervise all premises and places of business." J.I. Johnson became night watchmen at the salary of $12.50, and he was charged with roaming the streets at nights to be on the lookout for fire. The City Marshall was expected to corral any stray dogs--and kill them if they were unclaimed. He was to remove the carcasses from the city limits afterwards. in 19001, an ordinance was passed forbidding the possession of pigeons in the city--the control of which fell to the City Marshall. [Note: Several kinds of dove …
[The Donkey Trail up East Mountain - 1901]
A trail ride, going up East Mountain on burros, is pictured here. The participants listed on back of picture are: "Jessie Padgett - Dallas, Mr. Oscar Levin, Miss [unidentified], Mr. Coy Wimberly - Tyler, Miss [unidentified], Miss Burriss - Terrel, Mr. Jacobs - Atlanta, Lilian Webster - Dallas, Raymond Caruth - Dallas, Johnetta Armstrong - Dallas, Mr. Cousins - Tyler, Maggie Street - Dallas, Katie Elliott - Dallas, Miss Hyman - Min. Wells, Mr. Nance - Dallas, Mr. Brown - Tyler, Mary Roberts - Terrel, Will Caruty - Dallas. Mineral Wells, June 11, 1901." Burro rides on the Donkey Trail up East Mountain were a popular pastime around the turn of the twentieth century.
[St. Mark's Lutheran Church - 5 of 18: Door Leading to Steeple]
The door at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1201 SE 25th Avenue, Mineral Wells, Texas. It leads to the steeple.
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