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Fairfield Inn, Mineral Wells, Tex
Shown here is a an extensively damaged and repaired postcard of the Fairfield Inn. The inn, built by Colonel Walter H. Boykin around the turn of the twentieth century, was located at 814 N. Oak Avenue and faced west. The postcard is addressed to A. J. Ryder, Mallory Docks, Galveston, Texas. The postmark it bears dates to 1911.
Famous Mineral Water
The Famous Water Company, founded by Ed Dismuke (still located at 215 NW 6th Street) has been restored, and still [2007] sells mineral water. The large concrete bottle depicts the original shape of the container of the product sold. Dismuke also established a plant on the east bank of Lake Pinto, west of Mineral Wells, to manufacture his "PRONTO-LAX" Crystals. He organized the Mineral Wells Lakewood Scenic Railway in partnership with local banker Cicero Smith, whose gasoline-powered "Dinky Cars" operated quarter-hourly between Lake Pinto and Mineral Wells from 1905 to 1909. The Famous Water Company currently sells three grades of water: Regular, full-strength mineral water; deep (400 ft.) well water; and deep-well water that has been ionized and filtered by reverse osmosis.
Famous Mineral Water "At the Sign of of the Old Well"
Shown here is the title page of a booklet, about 6 3/16" by 3 7/16", of eight folios extolling the virtues of the waters obtainable in Mineral Wells. An analysis of the mineral water, a notarized statement by one J[asper] C. Liles (1873-1931), attesting to the purity of the water, and a brief description of the method by which the water is obtained, adorn the first two folios. An advertisement for Dismuke's Pronto-Lax (Complete with an illustration of a specimen bottle) fills the bottom of folio 2, verso. The rest of the booklet is given over to letters from satisfied customers, attesting to the efficacy of the waters in the alleviation of various complaints. The booklet ends with a notice of where to obtain Dismuke's Pronto-lax should it not be found locally. Finally, a violet stamp reading: Mrs. Dola Blaffer 3412 Knight Street Phone 5-6602 Dallas, Tex." fills out the final page. A colophon at the very bottom reads: "Hendrix Printing Co. Mineral Wells, Texas."
The Famous Water Pavilion--Damron Hotel
The Famous Water Wells maintained a pavilion in the lobby of the Damron Hotel, where guests could partake of mineral water. This hotel was located on the corner of W. Hubbard Street and SW 1st Street. It burned down in 1975.
[A Farm House]
Photograph of a farmhouse in Palo Pinto County (possibly near Thurber), visible at the end of a round driveway of red soil. The house is two stories tall and has a long row of dormer windows above a full-length front porch. Several vehicles are parked in front of the home. On the right side of the image, a white fence marks the boundary of the yard and hills covered in scrub are visible on the other side.
[The Ferris Anderson Home]
This picture is may be found on page 183 of the book "Time Was..." Second Edition by A. F. Weaver. His caption reads, "Ferris Anderson home with Anderson on the left family group. Home is located off SE 25th Avenue. The American Legion Post 75 was named after Ferris Anderson." Anderson was a war casualty in World War I.
The Final page of the Minutes of the Bicentennial Committee, 1975
Shown here is the final page of the minutes of the Bicentennial Committee.
[A Fire in Mineral Wells, Texas]
This picture is probably a photograph of the fire which destroyed the Delaware Hotel (Formerly known as the St. Nicholas Hotel) on North Oak Avenue at NE 3rd Street. The open ditch in the right foreground shows that the streets were not paved, indicating that the fire occurred prior to 1914. The pump-and-ladder fire wagon used to battle the fire was drawn by two beautiful white horses named Joe and Frank. The hotel was never rebuilt. The standing building in the photograph is Mineral Wells Grain and Feed, but its location has not been confirmed. The signification of the number "6" on the picture invites conjecture.
[First Country Club]
Illustrated here is a picture of the first Mineral Wells Golf country club, taken about 1950. The picture shows it on the shore of a lake that was located about three miles east of Mineral Wells. Further information is,sadly,lacking.
[The First Mayor of Incorporated Mineral Wells]
Judge J. A. Lynch bought eighty acres, laid out the city of Mineral Wells, and was its first self-appointed Mayor. The city itself incorporated in 1882, and Jim ("J. E."--the "E." is for "Edward") Laverty (1850-1934) became the first Mayor (and the first City Marshall) of the newly-incorporated Mineral Wells. Mineral Wells adopted a change of charter in 1894; and a new corporation was formed, which elected G. C. Green the next mayor of this new corporation. G.C.Green later moved to New Mexico and founded the town of Greens Gap. Laverty moved to Carlsbad, New Mexico in 1900 (at age 50), which city he tried to tout as a spa, like Mineral Wells. The famous caverns at Carlsbad were explored in 1901, and made into a national treasure. He married Mary Ann Cowden (1853-1924), and he had three children: Mary Eula Laverty (1879-1969), Roberta (Berta) Laverty (1879-1962), and Edward Franklin Laverty (1883-1956). This picture shows him and his dog in 1882. He died, and he was buried at Carlsbad in 1934, after serving two terms as mayor, and 23 years as City Treasurer and tax collector.
First National Bank
The first National Bank, at the southeast corner of Oak Avenue and Hubbard Street in Mineral Wells, was originally located in the Oxford Hotel. The Lynch Building and Plaza were built on the site of the hotel, commemorating the location of the discovery of mineral water with "miracle healing powers" by a well drilled here by James A. Lynch in 1879, after the Oxford burned in 1983.
[The First National Bank]
The First National Bank was organized about 1900 by Cicero Smith. It was located on the corner of Mesquite & Throckmorton Streets (Now, [2013] Southeast 1st Avenue and Northeast 1st Streets). The Index Printing Company is visible in the rear of the building. Fourteen men (and no women) are shown around the building, all dressed in three-piece suits--including the two lounging on the steps of the Index. The picture is featured in "Time Was in Mineral Wells" on page 146.
[First National Bank]
Shown here is the Teller's wicket in the original First National Bank. It was located at the corner of Throckmorton and Mesquite streets (Later: SE. 1st Avenue and SE 1st Streets). The identities of the people pictured are as yet [2014] unknown. The picture appears in "Time Was in Mineral Wells" on page 1146.
[First Presbyterian Church, 13 of 13 : South Side]
The third in a series of thirteen pictures of the First Presbyterian Church. This picture shows details of the south side of the church.
First Presbyterian Church in 1896
Handwritten notes on this old newspaper clipping indicate that it was given by M. J. Graham to A. F. Weaver, and correctly reports that the church structure burned August 25, 1908. The article erroneously states that it burned July 4, 1914. The article appears to have been published in the Mineral Wells Index. The caption reads: "Crowd attends dedication of the wooden church as it nears completion in the summer of 1896, when the edifice was dedicated to the Lord and mankind. On July 4th, 1914, the church was destroyed by one of the most disastrous fires in the history of Mineral Wells, when 34 residences and hotels, for two blocks east and west, and four blocks north--from Hubbard St. to NW 4th Street--burned. Every place from Hubbard north to 4th Street except the Tygrett home. "The present church was constructed some two years after the wooden church burned, on the same site--the corner NW 2nd Street and NW 4th Avenue. Perhaps some of the youngsters in the picture are living in the community today [2013]. Picture made available by M. J. Graham from his file of papers and pictures on the history of Presbyterianism in this community. "Until the present domed brick church was completed, the Presbyterians held Sunday School and church on the lower floor of the Odd Fellow Building in the 200 block on North Oak." The domed brick church mentioned in the article was built in 1909, (at a cost of $15,000, according to the El Paso Morning Times of 1909) and was replaced by a third church at this location in the 1980's due to structural deterioration. Please note: The picture in this article has been slightly cropped from it's original form, which is also in the A. F. Weaver Collection with the title [First …
[First State Bank & Trust]
Shown here is an interior view of the First State Bank & Trust Company, later known as the State National Bank, located at 102 East Hubbard. This bank was organized in 1906, and it opened on April 17, 1906. It became the State National Bank in 1925. The First National Bank was merged with the State National Bank in 1931. The official name of the institution became First National Bank in 1955. At the desk is H. N. Frost, then president. Standing is W. I. Smith, Vice-President & cashier. The teller is unidentified. The photograph was taken 1921. Note the cuspidors in each corner. It is featured in "Time Was in Mineral Wells" on page 147.
First State Bank & Trust Company
The First State Bank and Trust Company and the Oxford Hotel were located at the corner of Oak and Hubbard Streets. The building burned in 1983. It is now the site of the Lynch Building and Plaza, the site of the first discovered mineral water well in Mineral Wells.
The First Well Was Dug Here in 1877
This photograph illustrates a cartoon. "1880" is written in ink at bottom of the photograph, evidently in correction of the cartoon. Lynch arrived in what would later be Mineral Wells in 1877. His first well, dug to forty-one feet in 1878, was dry. The second well, drilled deeper, was in 1880. Please see also "Opening of the First Season at Mineral Wells" and "Mr. Lynch on His Way to Discover Mineral Wells." The cartoon appears to have been taken by A. F. Weaver from a jocular booklet titled "Inside Story About the Waters" which is in the holdings of the Palo Pinto County Album (q.v.). The booklet was written in the nineteenth-century burlesque tradition, and Weaver makes no comment on the cartoon or the booklet.
[The Firstron Building After a Fire]
The Firstron Building occupied the site of the Oxford Hotel (which burned down)and was itself replaced by the First National Bank (which moved away). The building burned in 1983. Lynch Plaza now [2012] occupies the site. The sign in front of the remains of the Firstron Building reads: Firstron Building OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT 325-4461 ROOM 300 It invites ironic comment. This picture appears in "Time Was in Mineral Wells", Second Edition, on page 186.
[Five Women on a Bridge]
The bridge shown here once spanned a stream in downtown Mineral Wells. It was channelized along the northbound Weatherford, Mineral Wells and Northwestern Railroad. The same women may be seen in the photograph "Women in Truck."
[A Float in a Parade]
A float, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, in a 1938 parade is shown here. Please note the businesses in view: City Bakery, and Perry Brothers 5-10-and 25-Cent [store].
Fog
This booklet gives an overview of fog as it relates to aviation. According to the scope notes on the title page, it includes information about "Types of fog and factors for formation and dissipation; flight procedures when fog has been forecasted or encountered en route"; and the en-route weather aids available to the aviator." The text also has self-evaluation questions printed throughout, with the answers printed on the last page.
[Formation of OH-23 Helicopters]
Illustrated in this photograph is a formation of OH-23 Helicopters, presumably at Fort Wolters. Information in regard to the occasion of their flight, or any other data on the helicopters,is unfortunately lacking.
[The Founder of Mineral Wells - Portrait]
This unlabeled photograph appears to be of Judge J. A. Lynch and his third wife, Armanda Sweeny Lynch, possibly at a family reunion. Judge James Alvis Lynch was the founder of Mineral Wells. No identification of the people (numbered) around them appears to survive.
[Fred Estrada, Street Vendor]
Photograph of Fred Estrada posing next to a wheeled card that says "hot tamales." A street is visible behind him, including a number of storefronts and parked cars. A mail box is visible in the foreground on the right side of the image.
[A Fun Day in Mineral Wells]
Four individuals are shown here, out for a day of fun. From left to right are: Joe Myers, Ida McLendon, Hamp Russell and Elizabeth Crisp. This photograph comes from A. F. Weaver's, "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells," first edition, page 71. The photograph was taken on one of the donkey paths on East Mountain. J. C. McClure, an early photographer, first owned the donkeys. He was killed while riding a wild stallion on Oak Avenue. J. L. Young and his wife then took over the donkeys, and built a rock house on the trail as a background for souvenir pictures.
[Games at Elmhurst Park]
A girls' basketball game is being played at Elmhurst Park, around 1910. Ladies in the picture are wearing ladies' basketball uniforms of the day. Ladies at the time played on a half-court, and the game was strictly a no-contact sport. The game was re-started with a jump ball after each score, tie-ball, or any infraction of the rules. There were six players on each "side", three "offense", and three defenders. This picture may be found on page 89 of "Time Was in Mineral Wells...", Second Edition, by A. F. Weaver.
[Garett & Walton Cold Drinks & Sandwiches]
Shown here are Bill Garrett (left) and Walter Dalton (right), proprietors of Garrett & Walton Cold Drinks & Sandwiches. It was once located at 110 Southeast 1st Street. The picture was taken around 1920. It may be seen in "Time Was in Mineral Wells" on page 128.
[A Gazebo in West Park]
A gazebo, built during the 1970-1980's era, is visible through the trees in West City Park. The park is located on US highway 180 (Hubbard Street) where Pollard Creek crosses it--west of downtown Mineral Wells, Texas.
[The Gem Theatre Band]
The Woodward Family Band (although the sign on the drum says "Gem Theater Band") is shown standing in front of The Gem Theater,once located at 201 NE1st Avenue in Mineral Wells. The film "The Diamond From the Sky" was playing at the time the photograph was taken [about 1915]. This film starred Lottie Pickford, sister to Mary Pickford.
The Giant Penny
This photograph appears to have been taken in the Convention Hall. The date is unknown. It shows a display of various items on and around a stage. The title 'The Giant Penny' appears to be taken from an advertisement of Texas Power & Light that was popular in the middle decades of the twentieth century. The advertisement extols the amount of electricity that even one single cent will buy. The occasion that prompted this display might only be conjectured. Conjectures, however, are not only tiresome, but likely to be wrong, too. Therefore, none will be rehearsed here.
[The Gibson Well]
The Gibson Well was located on the 700 block of NW 2nd Avenue. In 1888, the label on a bottle of "Natural Gibson Well Water" boasted cures for "constipation, rheumatism, female complaints, nervousness, calculi, stomach, liver, kidney & bladder disorders." Please note the crossing of the "WMW&NW RR" tracks and the "Dinky Car" tracks in the left foreground of the picture.
Gibson Well Park and Pavilion
Young ladies frolic at the Gibson Well Park around 1900. Two young women are swinging jump-ropes Double-Dutch style for a third lady. The dress styles indicate this group represents a social club on a spring outing. Note the distinctive architectural style of the Gibson mineral water pavilion. The First Christian Church now occupies the site of the early Gibson Park.
[Green Cottage]
The "Green Cottage", located at NW 1st Avenue and NW 2nd Street, was built by Tom Green, owner of Green's Livery Stables. This photograph appears on page 102 of "Time Was in Mineral Wells..." by A. F. Weaver. [The people in picture remain unidentified.]
Greetings from Palo Pinto, Texas
Shown here is the photograph of a postcard from Palo Pinto, Texas. The front has a photograph of a lake, trees, and a dirt road. The back of the card card has "Brown Road Scenes", and handwritten correspondence, that is not presented here.
[The Ground-breaking for Mineral Wells High School, 1914]
The ground-breaking ceremony for Mineral Wells High School in 1914 is shown here. The school, finished in 1915, was located on the corner of W. Hubbard Street and NW 5th Avenue.
[The Ground-breaking for the Peck City Railroad Depot]
This picture illustrates a newspaper article (in the Mineral Wells "Index")about the ground-breaking ceremony for the Gulf and Brazos Valley Railroad depot in Mineral wells, Texas. The G & B V railroad ran from a junction on the Texas & Pacific Railroad main line at Peck City (2 miles west of Millsap) to Mineral Wells. The G&B V depot was on SE Mesquite Street, (now SE 1st Avenue) one block north of the WMW&NW depot. The G&B V contracted to use the WMW&NW tracks from Mineral Wells to the Rock Creek coal mines in far western Parker County, four miles east of Mineral wells. The G&B V ceased operation shortly after the Texas & Pacific Railroad bought the WMW&NW in 1902.
[A Group Picture]
A picture of a large group of attendees at the Mineral Wells Annual Fair is shown. The picture was taken in the early 1900's at the Dance Pavilion at Elmhurst Park.
[A Guest Room in the Baker Hotel]
This photograph shows a guest room in the Baker Hotel, when it was operating. Please note the corner sofa, shag carpet, round coffee-table. Please note also the smoking stand at one end of the sofa--an amenity not encountered in modern hotel rooms. The decor suggests the late 1950's or the early 1960's. It is said that the door of the room had an apparatus in it that automatically turned off the lights and the fan when the key was turned in it. The method used has not yet [2016] been fathomed. "Smart" keys (and computers that took their advice) were still in the future, but it was within the technology of the period to accomplish such wonders as rooms that automatically came to life hen the door was opened.. It is conjectured that a mercury switch in the door accomplished the feat.
[Hacks at a Railroad Depot]
Before the ascendancy of automobiles to public popularity, hacks met newcomers at the depot to take them to their favorite hotel or rooming house. This picture is probably typical week-end visitors from the Ft. Worth/Dallas "Metroplex" in Mineral Wells to drink the health-giving mineral water, and take the relaxing baths and massages. The men on the telephone poles were typical of the "spotters" who sought to deliver clients to local hotels and rooming houses. The photograph appears on page 44 of the "Time Was..." Second Edition.
Hal Collins
The name "Hal Collins", manager of the Crazy Hotel in the early 1930's, is printed on the back of this photograph, as well as his autograph on the face. He and his brother Carr bought the burned-out shell of the original Crazy Hotel; and built another, much more elaborate, in its place. He became convinced (by a salesman, according to one story; by his vice-president by another) that by advertising on the new medium, radio, that he could sell a boxcar-load of Crazy Water Crystals (evaporated from the now-famous water) each week. As a result, the "Crazy Gang" began broadcasting from the lobby of the Crazy Hotel over the Texas Quality Network. Hal Collins himself went on the radio air with his spot called "One Mans' Opinion." The noon broadcast became so popular that the sponsor was shipping, not one but several, carloads of Crazy Water Crystals per week to a nationwide audience of devoted listeners. More than one well was required to fill the orders that came in. He was one of 22 alternates in 1941 for the position of United States Senator on the death of Morris Shepard. He moved to Reynoso, Mexico to look after his brother's radio station. Weatherford's Mary Martin got her start in show business on the program that Collins had originated, where she became known as "Crazy Mary."
A Hazy View of Mineral Wells
Photograph of the city of Mineral Wells, Texas, taken from a hill looking down at the buildings.
[Headshot of David Brinkley against dark background]
Signed head-shot of David Brinkley wearing a suit and light-colored tie, with half of his face slightly shadowed. The backdrop behind him is dark. The notation reads, "To the army helicopter school with my best wishes. Long may you wave!" On the back of the photograph are handwritten notes and a stamp giving the Boyce-Ditto Public Library's address.
[Headshot Walter Cronkite]
Photograph of American broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite. In this head-shot, Mr. Cronkite wears a medium colored suit and a tie. On the back of the photograph is an ink stamp giving the Boyce-Ditto Public Library address.
[Hell's Gate]
An old channel of the Brazos River cut a gap in a sandstone formation in the Possum Kingdom area. Water from the impounded Possum Kingdom Lake covered the area and created this spectacular scene when the Morris Shepard Dam was built by the W.P.A. for flood control in the late 1930's. For a feel of the magnitude of the vista, please note the two-story home atop the cliff to the right of the photograph.
[The Hexagon Hotel]
The popular Hexagon Hotel, built in 1897, was the first structure in Mineral Wells to be electrically-lit. Electricity was supplied by a DC power plant next door. It was located at 701 N. Oak, and was torn down September 1959. This photograph is found on page 177 of "Time Was.." 2nd Ed. by A. F. Weaver.
[The Hexagon Hotel and Convention Hall]
A hexagon-shaped hotel was designed and built by David G. Galbraith, and located in Mineral Wells in the 700 block of N. Oak Street. Construction was started in 1895 and completed in 1897. The hotel was the first electrically-lighted hotel in the city, and the hexagon shape was designed to achieve maximum air circulation 61 years before air-conditioning became available. Mr. Galbraith was also the inventor of the paper clip (not the familiar one, but one very much like it. He was issued a patent in 1910); and along with five other men, he was the inventor of the synthetic fiber acetate. The hotel was demolished in 1959. The Convention Hall building at 715 N. Oak Street, located next door to the Hexagon Hotel, was built in 1925 on the site of Mineral Well's first electrical generating plant (DC). The Convention Hall was torn down by the city in 1977.
[The Hexagon Hotel - drawing]
A photograph of a painting of the Hexagon Hotel is shown here. The unique Hexagon Hotel was the subject of many artists and photographers during its existence. Built in 1897 by David Galbraith, it was the first hotel in Mineral Wells to have electricity in every room. It also had outside exposure in every room for ventilation in the summer. The top floor was a reading room--popular at the time. Alvis Lynch, the painter of the picture, was the grandson of Judge Lynch, who founded Mineral Wells. He lived in California, but presented the original painting to the Heritage Association when he visited Mineral Wells. His signature--and the date 1977--is visible on the lower right-hand portion of the photograph.
[The Hexagon Hotel Staircase]
Shown here is an intricately-carved newel post for a staircase in the Hexagon Hotel. It had four staircases that spiraled through its five floors. The interior trim of the hotel was of "heart of pine"--a hardwood, despite its name. Pegs and square nails were used in its construction. The building was designed in a honeycomb pattern for a maximum of ventilation--for the comfort of the guests. It is greatly lamented that the post (and the building itself, for that matter) are no longer in existence. See also: Hexagon Hotel [with history] for further details.
[The Hexagon Hotel Stairwell]
This picture shows a staircase in the Hexagon Hotel taken from the top floor. A view of the first-floor lobby can be seen at the lower middle of the picture with the stairs spiraling from floor to floor down to the ground level. A writer in the Palo Pinto County Star (Mineral Wells, Tex.) in 1966 remarked that "[A]s one entered the lobby once could see the stairways as they encircled each floor giving a gallery effect." See also: "Hexagon Hotel [with history]" for further details.
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