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[A View of Mineral Wells, Before the Building of the Baker Hotel]
A view of Mineral Wells from West Mountain, taken before the Baker Hotel was built. The picture therefore predates 1929. Just to the left of the upper center is the Hexagon Hotel. To the right of that, almost at the upper center, is the Standard Well and Amusement Park. On top of the hill are homes on what is now Northeast 4th Avenue. Some of these houses (especially the one with columns) are still in existence today [2009]. At the southern base of the hill, the house which Mr. Pratt restored in 2006-7 can be seen next to the Sanatorium. The Hexagon Hotel and the Standard Well no longer exist.
[A View of Mineral Wells from East Mountain]
A view of Mineral Wells from East Mountain looking west along NW 3rd Street is shown here. Visible landmarks include: The first Crazy Water Hotel, (built in two sections in 1911 and 1912) with its common lobby entrance on NW 3rd Street; the U.S. Post Office in the left foreground; the first Roman Catholic Church on the side of West Mountain at NW 3rd Street; Mineral Wells High School; West Ward School in the gap between West and South Mountains; and the Presbyterian Church on NW 2nd Street, one block northeast of West Ward School.
[A View of Mineral Wells from East Mountain]
A view from East Mountain, looking down on Mineral Wells and taken about 1910, includes: The First United Methodist Church, the Yeager Building, and the train depot in the background. This photograph was taken before the Baker Hotel was built.
[A View of Mineral Wells from East Mountain]
A view of Mineral Wells and South Mountain, taken from atop East Mountain is shown here. Notable buildings are the West Ward School next to the "Little Rock" school house in upper right and Poston Dry Goods in left-center. The photograph was taken before the second high school was built in 1914.
View of Mineral Wells From East Mountain Showing Crazy Hotel & Nazareth Hospital
A view of Mineral Wells from East Mountain, looking West-Northwest is shown here. The Crazy Hotel is visible in the near-left part of the picture, and the Nazareth Hospital in the middle-left, a block Northwest of the Crazy The Norwood Clinic (with its stately white columns), a block northeast of the Nazareth, is located near the center of the picture.
[A View of Mineral Wells From South Mountain]
A view of Mineral Wells, looking north from South Mountain, taken after 1929, is pictured here. The front of the old Mineral Wells High School is visible in the lower left corner. The Crazy Hotel is just to the right of center. This picture comes from one of 17 (4X4) negatives that were found in an envelope from Charles W. Simonds (Route 5, Box 43, Norman, Oklahoma, 73069), addressed to A.F. Weaver Photography and postmarked Aug. 4, 1975. Also on the envelope were some telephone numbers and the remark "Father - C.W. Simonds (Clarence Winfield)."
[A View of NE 1st Avenue]
In this view of NE 1st Avenue, the Old Post Office Building is shown at the end of the street and at the left of the picture. It is now [2007] The Woman's Club. The Baker Hotel (apparently under construction) can be seen at the far right of the picture. The Southwestern Bell Telephone Company building in the center of the picture sits across NE 1st Street, and to the north of the Baker.
[A View of the Baker Hotel]
Shown here is yet another view of the Baker Hotel in its days of glory.
Visitors Arriving in Our City
The boy shown near the center of the picture is 10-year-old George Calvin Hazelwood, who was a newsboy at the time. The man beside the boy is Louis Farris, who worked for the Hazelwood and C. W. Massie families of Palo Pinto. They are, in 1920, meeting the train to pick up the daily newspapers. The crowd is typical of the week-end visitors arriving from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. The Weatherford, Mineral Wells & Northwestern Railway Company reported 190,210 passengers for the year 1920. (This information came from page 92 of Art Weaver's "Time Was in Mineral Wells.")
[D. W. Griffith]
D. W. Griffith is shown standing on the roof of the new Crazy Hotel, which opened in 1927; and replaced the First Crazy Hotel, which had burned in 1925. Mr. Griffith, who produced silent movies including the "Keystone Kops" comedies, and the classic film "Birth of a Nation", was a guest at the Crazy Hotel while visiting Mineral Wells in 1929. A commemorative postage stamp was issued in his honor on May 27, 1975. Local folklore has it that Mr. Griffith was impressed by the "WELCOME" sign on East Mountain (the world's largest non-commercial, electrically-lighted sign at the time). He developed the "HOLLYWOOD HILLS" addition with other partners when he returned to California, and he erected what is probably the most recognizable landmark in America: The HOLLYWOOD sign now graces Los Angeles. Both signs have survived similar difficult times in their histories. This picture appears on page 19 of A.F. Weaver's "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells", second edition, 1974.
[The W.O.W. (Woodmen on the World) Drill Team]
This picture shows the Woodmen of the World Drill Team, taken on June 19, 1947. A caption on the back of the photograph reads: WOW DRILL TEAM 6-19-47---- Herman Tolbert, Capt.--LEFT TO RIGHT: Front row: Walter Carter, Gene Lee, Jimmy Brandenburg, Charlie Davis, Bill Teichman, Idys Cox, Jr., Boyce Harvey, Billy Brooks. Back Row: Melton Brewton, Walter Moore, Hayden Hughes, Bazil Brewton, Unknown [heavily underlined, with small lacuna, also underlined, following] Roy Alderson, Roy Brewton and Eldred Fryer. A further caption, rotated 90 degrees to the first reads: "Picture taken in Convention Hall." On the front of the photograph is handwritten: "phillips [sic] photog-aphic [sic] Service Abilene, Texas" in white ink. The photograph appears in A.F. Weaver's "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells" on page 165.
[W. W. Howard's Hardware Store]
The Howard Hardware store was once located at 101 E. Hubbard Street. The hanging electric lights, the tea table to the left, the double row of "air-tight" stoves ranks down the center aisle and the three-piece suits won by the men, all strongly suggest that the photograph was taken in the early twentieth century. The dimness of the photograph not only makes discerning further items on sale difficult, but probably reflects the store itself. People, at the time the photograph was taken, were accustomed to much lower levels of illumination that we moderns [2018] are. Persons identified in picture are: Helen Howard, Flora Howard, A. L. Howard and one unidentified person.
[The Wagley Bath House]
The Wagley Mineral Baths, formerly known as the Bimini Bath House, was located at 114 NW 4th Street, the N.E. corner of NW 1st Avenue and NW 4th Street. It was constructed by Goodrum, Murphy and Croft. It was still standing in 1974, when A.F. Weaver's book "TIME WAS In Mineral Wells" was first published. An early picture of the building appears on page 129 of "Time Was in Mineral Wells." It was demolished in the late 1980's or early 1990's.
The Wagley Bath House and Annex
The Wagley Bath House and Annex (originally called "The Bimini") was located at 114 NW 4th Street. Dr. Wagley also owned and operated a pharmacy in Mineral Wells. He died in 1953, at the age of 68, from a stroke of apoplexy.
[Walker's Grocery and Market]
Shown here is the J.J. Walker Grocery & Market, once located at 614 Southeast 6th Avenue. The picture is featured in "Time Was in Mineral Wells" on page 176. The identities of the three people pictured is not known at this [2015] time. Note, however, the hand-operated gasoline pumps, the oil pumps in the background, and a sign that advertises Texaco gasoline at 18 cents per gallon!
[The Water Tower]
A fine view of a water tower in Mineral is shown here.
We lost our job at Mineral Wells, Texas
This is a picture that was found in Mr. Weaver's collection, and captioned "We lost our job at Mineral Wells, Texas." This type of advertising was used by most of the drinking pavilions in this popular health resort to tout the beneficial effects of Mineral Wells' waters. There were numerous testimonials attesting the truth of such claims. When the Food and Drug Administration began to enforce the nation's drug laws vigorously in the mid-1930's, however, there were no rigorous scientific test data to document such claims, or to warn of possible side effects that taking the mineral water might cause. Consequently, this sort of advertising was banned after the 1930's.
[The Weatherford, Mineral Wells, Northwestern Railroad Depot]
The Weatherford, Mineral Wells, and Northwestern (WMW&NW) Railroad began operations October 1,1891, and it owned two locomotives. It was chartered in 1889 to build a road from Weatherford to Mineral Wells--about twenty-five miles. in 1895, it had earned $15,561 in passenger revenue, and $38,070 in freight. The Texas & Pacific Railway bought out the railroad in 1902, and extended the line eighteen miles to include the town of Graford. It built this depot shortly thereafter to replace a former wooden structure that had been destroyed by fire. The rail line had a colorful history, operating through World War II and into the 1990's. Construction of an extension of the line to the city of Oran was completed in 1907, which connected it to Graford. In 1912 two McKeen motor coaches (called "Doodlebugs" by the locals)were added. These were self-contained, 200 Horsepower, 70-foot long, gasoline-powered, 80-passenger coaches which provided service between Mineral Wells, Weatherford, Fort Worth and Dallas. A round trip took less than six hours, and two "Doodlebugs" provided service in each direction every three hours. In 1913, the Gulf Texas and Western Railroad, building south from Seymour, Texas, began operations over the WMW&NW line from Salesville to Mineral Wells, thus connecting the cities of Seymour, Olney, Jacksboro, Graford, Oran, Salesville, Mineral Wells, and Weatherford with daily round-trip service to Dallas. The demise of the railroad was slow. In 1928, passenger traffic had declined to a point that passenger service was discontinued, and did not resume until the nation began mobilizing for World War II in 1940. Nearly a half million troops (429,966) passed through the depot during the war years in transit to and from Ft. Wolters training base. In 1936, twelve miles of line between Salesville and Graford was abandoned. Only freight traffic was maintained by 1945. The …
[The Welcome Sign]
The WELCOME Sign (shown here) was fostered in 1922 by George Holmgren, the Texas Rotary Club's Governor, following a convention of the Rotary Club in Mineral Wells. The twelve-foot letters were built in Mr. Holmgren's San Antonio iron works by Mr. James Calvert, who was 17 years old when he and his father were commissioned to forge the letters. Mr. Calvert had played trumpet in the "F" troop cavalry as well as playing in the Frank Bird Orchestra in the Baker Hotel. Mr. Holmgren then gave the sign to the people of Mineral Wells with the understanding that they would maintain what was, at the time, the world's largest non-commercial lighted sign. The original incandescent bulbs were later replaced with lower-maintenance red neon lights by the Mineral Wells Jaycees. A Warrant Officer Company from Fort Wolters moved the sign from its original site on East Mountain to the east side of Bald Mountain (now called Welcome Mountain), overlooking Elmwood Cemetery, in 1972. It remains there today [2008], lighted at its base with flood lights, to greet visitors coming from the east. This is a picture, taken in 1972, of the restored sign.
Welcome Sign And Lookout Tower: 1929
The WELCOME sign was donated to the city of Mineral Wells in 1922 by George Holmgren, President of the Texas Rotary Club, in appreciation for the hospitality extended the Rotary Club at its State Convention in Mineral Wells that year. The caption on the photograph reads: "Reputed to be the largest Non-commercial electric sign in U.S." East Mountain was a popular place for viewing the city, especially for photographers. The lookout tower atop West Mountain (above the WELCOME sign) was destroyed by a tornado in 1930. The WELCOME Sign was built by Holmgren in his San Antonio Iron Works in 1922. He gave the sign to the people of Mineral Wells with the understanding that they would maintain the sign and the many light bulbs required to light it. The Mineral Wells Jaycees later replaced the light bulbs with lower-maintenance red neon lights. A Warrant Officer Club Company from Fort Wolters moved the sign from East Mountain in 1972 to the east side of Bald Mountain, where it remains today [2008], lighted with flood lights at its base. It is reported that this sign inspired D.W. Griffith, to promote possibly the most recognizable landmark in the United States, the HOLLYWOOD sign in California, following his visit to Mineral Wells in 1928. Griffith, Producer/Director of the early movie classic, "Birth of a Nation," also produced the "Keystone Kops" comedies. The house in the foreground (an example of Queen Anne architecture, spindle-work sub-type) was the home of druggist Dr. C.F. Yeager. Also in the picture, about half-way up the mountain, is a water tower, with its windmill. It was supposed to supply mineral water to the then new Baker Hotel, but no verification of this fact has turned up. The object in the upper-left-hand corner of the picture invites speculation.
The Welcome Sign on East Mountain, Mineral Wells, Texas
This picture is taken from a postcard claiming that the "Welcome" sign on East Mountain is "reputed to be the largest non-commercial electric sign in U.S." It has been claimed that the "Hollywood" sign was inspired by the "Welcome" sign, but this is likely a folk legend. (The preceding picture is a black and white original of this tinted picture. A more complete description may be found there.)
"Welcome to Crazy Park"
The Gibson Well Company purchased the Sangura-Sprudel property in 1908 for the sum of $30,000. It was to be operated as the Gibson Well property thereafter. An unnamed company shipped twenty-five carloads of water to an equally anonymous firm in Chicago in March of that year. The Gibson Well, Pavilion, and Park property covered the entire block, bordered by NW 2nd and 3rd Avenues and NW 6th and 7th Streets. The Gibson Well buildings were on the north side of the block, and the Crazy Water Well Company Bottling Plant was across NW 2nd Avenue--to the east. The Crazy Well Company maintained ambitions to build a large plant to the north of the Gibson Block, at 300 NW 7th Street, in 1921. Two buildings remained of the Gibson Well property in the 1920's, but the land was still used as a park. 1927 saw the operation of the Crazy Hotel (It was reputed to be the "Center of Everything in Mineral Wells") with its park at 300 NW 6th Street. Hence, the name of the park in the title. The property now [2008] belongs to, and is occupied by, the First Christian Church.
[The Wells Hotel]
This is a picture of the Wells Hotel, in the W. E. Mayes Building, once located on the northwest corner of Northwest 1st Avenue and Northwest 3rd Street. This photograph appears on page 105 of the "Time Was", Second Edition. Please note the complete lack of automobiles in the picture. Although it is not apparent from the photograph, the street is not likely to have been paved. The picture was most likely taken in the early years of the twentieth century.
[The West Texas Chamber of Commerce Parade, 1925]
The West Texas Chamber of Commerce Parade, moving west on NE 2nd Street in Mineral Wells is shown here. The parade was staged to welcome the 1925 Convention. Businesses include R. O. Norman and Company, Dry Cleaners; the Whatley-Maddox Motor Co (Ford and Lincoln); the Mineral Wells Sanitarium; and the United States Post Office.
[West Ward School]
This photograph appears to have been given to A. W. Weaver with the following information on the back of it: "Wasn't it Whittier who said 'Still stately stands the old school house, beside the babbling brook'?--well this one no longer stands. It was a firm & strong old building when they tore it down 4 years ago. I thought you would cherish this picture as a fond recollection of yours, mine & Hugh's school days & days of happy childhood, where, as we romped & played barefoot in the soft sands & green grass, we were not as yet familiar with the hidden stones & thorns that one encounters down the highway of life. "All the sheet metal contained in the top of this building including the tin roof was made & fabricated by Papa in Grandpa's store. The metal work consists of the ornamental cornice fittings, the steeples at each corner of the building, metal banisters on the roof top, pinnacles around cupolas, flag pole with large metal ball on top & all drain piping and roof ventilators. "The barren oak trees in the yard are very familiar. Far to the right, not shown in the picture were several mesquite trees, whose limbs were platted & tied in knots when they were saplings, by Grandpa Caylor. The trees grew in the fantastic shapes. All school boys were mystified at the strange shape of the trees and Grandpa was amused." The school was located at 205 Northwest 5th Avenue. It is both interesting and amazing how much of our history is not evident in the pictures that preserve such a vital part of it.
[The West Ward School]
The West Ward School is shown with "Dinky Car" tracks in foreground. The picture was taken around 1909. The first Mineral Wells School with a graduating class, built in 1902, it was located just north of Little Rock School on NW 5th Avenue. Mineral Wells' first High School graduation class, consisted of four students in 1903, as evinced by a photograph in "Time Was...", page 189. It was later named "Houston School" in 1915. The West Ward School was subsequently torn down. Another school, constructed on SW 4th Avenue, was then named "Houston School."
[The West Ward School, East (Front) View ]
The West Ward School, Mineral Wells' second public School, was built in 1902. It was located north of the old Rock School at 205 NW 5th Avenue. It served as both a High School and Elementary school until the East Ward School was built in 1906, and High School classes were moved there. The West Ward School was renamed the Houston Elementary School when the Mineral Wells High School was built in 1915. The building was torn down after a new Houston Elementary School was built in 1930.
West Ward School Mineral Wells, Texas
This photograph illustrates a view from the east of the West Ward School at the time of its completion in 1902. It was located just north of Mineral Well's first public school, the "Little Rock School", at 205 NW 5th Avenue. West Ward housed first through twelfth grades. Mineral Well's first high school graduating class (four students) graduated from here in 1905. High School classes were moved from here to the East Ward School when it was completed in 1906. Only elementary school classes were taught here at the time West Ward school was torn down, about 1930. The Lilian Peek Cottage, Texas' first free-standing Home Economics building, was built by the W.P.A. in 1937 just to the north of where the West Ward School had been located.
[Where the "Doodle Bug" Crossed the "Dinky Car" Tracks]
Illustrated here is the intersection of the "Doodle Bug" and "Dinky Car" tracks at the southwest corner of the Gibson Well property, NW 6th Street and NW 2nd Avenue. There were two "Doodle Bug" gasoline-powered motor coaches. The first one ran from Mineral Wells to Graford on the Weatherford, Mineral Wells and Northwestern Railroad (WMWNW) tracks. It was joined later by a second similar coach that ran from Mineral Wells to Seymour on the Gulf Texas and Western (GT&W) line. Two Dinky Cars, gasoline-powered motor cars on the Lakewood Scenic Railway, made round trips each quarter hour from the Mineral Wells depot to Lake Pinto. The Dinky cars, Esther and Suzie, were named after (banker and co-owner) Cicero Smith's daughters. The cars were joined in 1908 by a larger car--the Ben Hur. In the photograph the narrow-gauge dinky tracks running east-west along 6th Street crossing the wider standard-gauge railroad tracks running north-south (left to right in the picture.) The Gibson Well park and drinking pavilion are also shown in the picture.
"Where the Famous Crystals Are Made"
This is a photograph of a building with a sign that says, "Famous Mineral Wells Crystal Plant." There is a hill, covered in trees, behind the building. Writing at the bottom of the image reads: "Where Famous Crystals Are Made." Ed Dismuke, a druggist from Waco, came to Mineral Wells for his health after his family physician told him he only had a "short time" to live. After miraculously regaining his health, which he credited to the mineral waters of his new hometown, he sold water by the drink at the Damron Hotel, later opening his own company, The Famous Water Company. He also opened The Famous Mineral Crystal Plant on the east side of Lake Pinto in partnership with local banker Cicero Smith. The two also organized The Mineral Wells Lakewood Park Scenic Railway with its two gasoline-powered "dinky cars" named "Esther" and "Susie" after Smith's daughters. This is a picture of the plant where Famous Crystals, labeled "Pronto Lax" were made. Dismuke had outlived the doctors who had told him he only had a short time to live when he died at the age of ninety-four.
[Will Rogers at the Baker Hotel]
No Description Available.
[A Window in the "Texas Carlsbad Water"]
This photograph illustrates one of the painted-glass windows that was installed around 1915 at the Texas Carlsbad Water. It shows a bottle of "#3", extolling its efficacy against "Stomach and Liver Disorders. The Texas Carlsbad Water no longer [in 2012] exists. The picture occurs in A.F. Weaver's "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells...." on page 63.
--Winter Scene--Shipping Star Well Water-- From Mineral Wells Texas--
A legend on the photograph reads: "--Winter Scene-- --Shipping Star Well Water-- --From Min. Wells Texas--" The Star Well was located in the 200 block of NE 1st Avenue, across the street and north of where the Baker Hotel now [2008] stands. It was managed by Frank Richards, who purchased a block of land in the north part of Millsap Valley on which two wells were dug that proved to have an abundant supply of the very strongest mineral water. Mineral water was expensive to ship, so furnaces were built at the new location, pumps installed, and a modern evaporating plant built to produce hundreds of pounds of crystals annually. (The new well became known as the Pike Well.) Signs on the building claim that the water "Cures stomach trouble" as well as constipation, nervousnes [sic], insomnia, rheumatism, and female diseases." This picture can be found in "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells", First edition, on page 57.
[The Womanless Theater]
This is apparently the picture of a picture of a fund-raiser performed by the Lion's Club. It consisted of a play in which men all played the roles of women. Identified (in print) are the three "ladies" in front: J. B Courtney (Miss Fortune), Charles Williams, and Noble Glenn (Miss Applied). Also identified (in holograph) is Cecil Young, third from the right, presumably among the standing "ladies."
[Women in a Truck]
An unknown group of six women is shown posing on a truck. The type of truck is also not known. There are two photographs of this group of women with not a clue concerning who they might have been. The Bimini Bath House (and a horse-drawn wagon) are in the background. See also, the photograph "Five Women on Bridge."
[A Women's Basketball Game at Elmhurst Park]
Games at Elmhurst Park in 1910 included women's basketball. The players here are wearing the typical basketball uniforms of "genteel ladies" of the day. Girls and ladies played on half of a normal basketball court with both teams shooting at the same basket. The game was restarted with a "jump ball" after each goal or foul (read: "Rule infraction").
[A Women's Basketball Game at Elmhurst Park, Mineral Wells]
A women's basketball game (at Elmhurst Park, Mineral Wells, taken about 1910) is shown in progress here. A "Dancing Pavilion" is visible in the background. Please note the players' uniforms. This scene shows a battle for the rebound after a shot at the basket.
[The Women's Corps, Palo Pinto County Civil Defense]
The Women's Corp, Palo Pinto County Civil Defense. The photograph pictures 13 (unnamed) women, a young girl, and A. F. Weaver during a flag presentation. Mr. Weaver, a Ham Radio operator, set up the Palo Pinto County Civil Defense on October 1, 1972 and was the director for 26 years. Mr. Weaver was also the author of "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells", a photographic history, first published in 1975. The book was revised and published again in three subsequent editions.
[The Woodmen of the World -- 1905]
Mineral Wells was a popular convention city in its heyday. This photograph is part of the group attending a convention of the Woodmen of the World in Mineral Wells. The picture was taken around 1905 at the Texas Carlsbad Well, once located at 415 NW 1st Avenue.
[The Woodmen of the World - 1911]
The picture was taken in 1911 during the Woodmen of the World convention. It shows the backside of the Crazy Flats, before the first Crazy Hotel sections were constructed. The buildings in the background are the four wings of the Crazy Well Water Company, "The Crazy Flats," where rooms for rent were also available. The first Crazy Hotel was built the following year, 1912, on the location where this convention gathering is pictured.
Woodmen of the World Camp Meeting , June 19, 1947
A white-ink legend on the face of this photograph reads: Woodman [sic] of the World Camp Meeting----6-19-47 Mineral Wells, Texas. phillips [sic] photographic [sic] Service [sic] A typed legend on the back of the photograph reads: WOW MEETING 6-19-47 held in Convention Hall. Recognized Front [sic] row from left: #1 Ezra Wortham. #5 Charlie Sheridan, #6 George Oliver 3rd. Row standing #1 John Birdwell, #5 Louis Fryer, #6 John Miller, #7 Ben Yeager, #12 Bill Teichman. 4th row: #1 Charlie Langley #15 Roy Langley [Unreadable deletions in green ink above appear this caption] This picture appears in Weaver's "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells" on page 165.
[The Woodmen of the World Convention, 1911],
This is another picture of the convention of The Woodmen of the World in 1911. Note the men holding symbolic axes. This picture represents half of a photographic panorama view. It was taken at the back of Crazy Flats, the Crazy Water Company's third Drinking Pavilion, that also offered rooms for rent. The first Crazy Hotel was built on this open lot the following year. Clark's Pharmacy and The Lithia Drug Company are also pictured behind and to the left of the "Crazy Flats."
[The Woodmen of the World Convention at the Chautauqua]
The caption of this picture, shown on page 50 of "Time Was..." by A. F. Weaver, states: "Part of the Woodmen of the World convention men gathered in front of the Chautauqua [building] for this picture in 1911. Many thousand attended." Note the men perched in two of the trees to the right (and left) of the observer, and also those sitting on top of the sign at the left of the picture. The building itself was demolished, probably during the following year, 1912.
The Woodruff Cottage
Copy around this picture states that the Woodruff Cottage was built by a Civil War veteran who came to Mineral Wells for his health in 1903. His health improved so much, writes the copy, that he decided to build a fine home here with rooms for visitors. A note on the back of the picture indicates the "Cottage" was opened in 1905. The copy also states that it was located one block north of the Crazy and Carlsbad wells, and became quite popular because of its convenient location.
[The Yeager Block]
This picture shows a white sandstone building on NE 1st Avenue named "Yeager Block." The original home of (what was often called) the Lion Drugstore, it once sported a metal statue of a lion mounted on the roof, which gave rise to the legend that the business was called "The Lion Drug." (Current living descendants of Dr. Yeager do not ever remember the drugstore being referred to by than name. However, a casual reference to it in 1912 refers to the store as "The Lion Drug.") It housed the Baker Medical Supply at the time of the photograph. A retail store in the left of the photograph is named "The Rural Route." A handwritten date on the back of the photograph gives the year as "1993." The coffee shop "H2J0" is located [in 2007] where "The Rural Route" used to be.
[The Yeager Building]
Shown here is a stone building named "Yeager Block" on NE 1st Avenue. The building originally housed what was called, (by some) "The Lion Drug Store", and once had a metal statue of a lion on its roof. It housed the Baker Medical Supply Company at the time of the photograph. A retail store in the left (south) of the photograph was named "The Rural Route." A handwritten date on the back is given as 1993. The coffee shop H2JO was located on the north part of the building in 2006. Mike Chamberlain Photography was located on the north end of the block in 2006. It is now [2008] closed.
[The Yeager Building]
A stone building named "Yeager Block" on the corner of NE 1st Avenue and NE 1st Street is shown here. (NE 1st is the street shown in the picture. Dr. Yeager lived two blocks east--up that street--of the drugstore). Once home of (what was known to some as)"The Lion Drugstore", it had a metal statue of a lion mounted on its roof. The statue of the lion was removed but not the exact date of its removal is not sure. It is not visible in a photo dated 1925 of the West Texas Chamber of Commerce Convention. At the time of this photograph, (a handwritten note on the back of the photograph gives the date as 1993), it was housing the Baker Medical Supply Company at the time. A retail store in the left of the photograph is named "The Rural Route."
[The Yeager Building - Mineral Wells, Texas]
The Yeager Building, located on the southwest corner of NE 1st Street and NE 1st Avenue is shown here. Concrete lettering in the gable atop the building (barely visible in the photograph)identifies it as "YEAGER BLOCK". The building once had a metal lion mounted atop it, giving rise to the story that the business was named "The Lion Drug." Descendants of Dr. Yeager do not recall the place's ever having that name. A casual reference to the building in 1912 gives it as "The Lion Drug", however. The metal lion met its fate by being donated for scrap in a drive for metal during World War II.
[Yet Another View of Mineral Wells]
The roofs of various houses are clearly seen in this photograph. The Baker Hotel obtrudes at the extreme left.
Young Motor Co.
A text on the photograph identifies it as "May 1952-Grand Opening after fire of 1951,/ 316 E. Hubbard Street, /Photo by A. F. Weaver." This business was the local General Motors dealership and garage. It became Barnett-Young in late 1960's, and in 1984 after Cecil Young's death it was Barnett Motor Co. The building is adjacent to the Baker Hotel parking garage, and, in 2007, it houses the H & H Tire Company.
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