Another in the extensive series of photographs that covered the spectacular holiday fire that completely consumed the Damron Hotel during the 1975 Christmas season is shown here. This picture shows some of the early response to the fire. Note, for example, the electrical utility truck, which has arrived to cut off electrical power to the buildings. The Damron Hotel (which was built during the days when Mineral Wells was a resort) was originally named the Colonial Hotel. It was located at 109 W. Hubbard. The spectacular fire received extensive photographic coverage. The sign "Pemberton Appliance and Plumbing", located across the street west, is visible. Pemberton's also suffered damage in the fire, but by 7:30 the next day, workmen were installing plate glass in it.
Shown here is another picture in the series of photographs of the fire that destroyed the Damron Hotel during the holiday season of 1975. This smoke-shrouded scene of W. Hubbard, shows the front entrance to the hotel in the earlier stages of the fire's progress. The Damron was built in 1906, during the days that Mineral Wells was a popular resort spa. It burned completely on December 22,1975. The hotel's name was changed in 1917 when Mr. Holt (who had built the hotel) traded it to Agnew and Bessie Damron. It was a very popular hotel through the "Roaring Twenties", the Great Depression and World War II.
Another view of the front entrance to the Damron Hotel at 109 W. Hubbard during the earlier stages of the fire that completely destroyed it on December 22, 1975. Debris from the burning hotel wafted as far as seven blocks from the burning building. No major injuries were reported. The spectacular Holiday fire that destroyed the hotel received extensive photographic coverage.
The Damron Hotel, built in 1906 during the days that Mineral Wells was a popular resort spa, burned completely on December 22, 1975. It was located at 109 W. Hubbard Street. This picture shows the dense cloud of smoke that resulted from the holiday catastrophe. Westbound traffic on .S. Highway 180 had to be re-routed in order to avoid the clutter of debris that littered the street.
This picture illustrates the photograph of the huge column of black smoke accompanying the Damron Hotel fire that completely destroyed the hotel on December 22, 1975 in Mineral Wells. It is viewed from a narrow street or alleyway that has buildings lining either side; a Chevrolet truck is parked on the right side of the image.
Shown here is another view of the plume of thick black smoke at the height of the fire that completely destroyed the Damron Hotel December 22, 1975, along with two hard-hatted individuals (presumably fire-fighters) standing in the street. It was a very popular hotel during the mineral water industry's heyday through the "Roaring Twenties", Great Depression and World War II. By the time of the fire, however, an informant remarked--verbally--that no respectable lady permitted herself to be found within a block of the hotel. Sic transit, it would appear, gloria mundi.
The Damron Hotel, built as the Colonial Hotel in 1906 during the days that Mineral Wells was a popular resort, burned completely on December 22, 1975. Shown here is another view of the front entrance to the hotel as flames burst through the front wall of the building. The gesturing individual with the hard hat has not been identified.
The Damron Hotel was built as the Colonial Hotel in 1906 during the heyday of Mineral Wells as a popular resort city. It burned completely on December 22, 1975. This picture shows the front entrance under a dark plume of black smoke, with flames breaking through the upper floors of the front wall. Two people (one with a hard hat, and one without)stand observing the proceedings.
Shown here is yet another view of fire at the Damron Hotel, December 22, 1975 is shown here. The hotel was located in the 109 W. Hubbard Street. The fire also destroyed Davidson Hardware, which was in the same building, and damaged Pemberton's ( nearby appliance store) and George's Man's shop a well as damaging the back of Hill's Style Shop.
Here is a view of the Damron Hotel (formerly located at 109 W. Hubbard Street)during the early stages of the fire (on December 22, 1975) that completely destroyed it. It was a popular hotel during the heyday of Mineral Wells--through the "Roaring Twenties", the Great Depression and World War II.
This is a picture of the dedication of "Little Rock Schoolhouse" Museum. [See other photographs for more details.] Senator Tom Creighton is shown addressing an attentive audience.
A marker commemorating the conversion of Mineral Wells' first school to a museum. "The Little Rock Schoolhouse" was built in 1884, and though tuition was charged to the students to pay the teacher, the school building, itself, was built by the city. A granite marker to commemorate the conversion of the school to a museum was unveiled at this dedication.
Texas State Senator Tom Creighton delivers the keynote address at the dedication of a memorial marker to W.P. (Bill) Cameron at the "Little Rock Schoolhouse" Museum. Mr. Cameron was the Editor of the Mineral Wells Index newspaper, and an active and popular participant in local civic and social events. After his death, his family placed a marker in his honor at the museum. Members of Mr. Cameron's family are seated to the speaker's left, and the Junior High Ensemble, Director Vicki Carden, are on the museum steps behind and to the speaker's right, Please contact the collection webmaster if you recognize other persons in the picture. The marker has been removed, and its location is not known at this time.[see previous photographs for more details.] Very dimly visible in an enlarged photo, inside the open door of the museum, is an original five-pointed wooden star that decorated a gable of the historic Hexagon House Hotel.
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.
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.)
A holograph legend on the back of this picture states: "Tearing down Convention Hall 1976." The photograph illustrates the demolition of the building in full swing. Only the skeleton of the roof remains, and the walls are in ruins. This picture appears in Weaver's "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells" on page 186.
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.
The Sangcura-Sprudel Well, located at 800 NW 2nd Avenue, was built around 1900. The building was later moved to 314 NW 5th Street, and the porches were enclosed. It was then re-modeled into a rooming house. The building burned down on December 5, 1973, five minutes before the annual Christmas Parade in Mineral Wells.
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.
This photograph affords a wider view of the house shown in the previous picture. It is of eclectic style, with Prairie, and Neoclassical elements. A telephone book dated 1940 lists it as the address of Alvin Maddox.
A photograph of Jarmon Alvis Lynch and his wife, taken October 1, 1977. He was the grandson J. A. Lynch, the founder of Mineral Wells. He is shown standing on the steps of the Rock School House (in Mineral Wells)in this 1977 photograph, and holding his drawing of the Lynch cabins, which also shows the drilling rig his grandfather used to dig the first mineral well.
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.
A sign in front of the spillway (which was part of the dam for Mineral Wells Lake before it was rebuilt to a higher level during World War Two) says, "Water For Texans."
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.
Photograph of a group of firefighters posing in front of a firetruck. Shown in the top row are: Rene James, Weldon Hood, Jerry Kidwell, Walter Carter, Jerry Loftis. In the middle row: Eddie Bell, Eldred Fryer, Horace Roe, Bud Smith, Joe Knight, Kenneth Kinder. In the front row: B.H. "Tiny" Gilstrap, Eddie Fryer, Melton Brewton (Chief), Jerry Van Natta, Allen Fryer, Rickey Epperson, Larry Clutts, Louis Clutts, Butch Clutts, Gene Knerr, Davis Light, John Gilbert, Byron Kizziah, Bazil Wright, R.S. Purcell, W.G. Mullins, Sam Smith, Arthur Schulte, Cecil Holifield. Information for these names was taken from the back of photograph.
This picture immortalizes the signing of the 25-year lease at $25 per year of the 1884 Little Rock School building for the purpose of establishing it as a museum. Pictured, left to right are: A. F. Weaver, President of the Mineral Wells Heritage Association; L. Gordon Nelson, Vice President; Mrs. Gordon Nelson, Chairperson for the Restoration Committee. Seated is Bill Hall, Superintendent of Mineral Wells Schools. The photograph was taken in July, 1975. The Little Rock School, in 2007, remains a museum dedicated to the preservation of the History of Mineral Wells. This picture appears in "Time Was in Mineral Wells...." on page 173.
Shown here is a picture of the Mineral Wells Police force and the City/County Ambulance Service, taken in 1974. From left to right are: Bennie Hutcheson, R.A. Hodges, Jim Elmore, Jimmy Davis, Walter Graves, Orville West, Montiford Parker, Henry Childress, Don Farriel, Larry Brandenburg, Bill Meaders, Raymond Jones, Mike Poe, Ricky Shank, Fred Foreman (Police Chief), Gene Knerr, Gilbert Sommerfield (Investigator), David Jared, and Ronnie Edwards. The information was taken from the back of photograph, which itself was taken at the West City Park. It is published on page 153 of A.F.Weaver's book, "TIME WAS In Mineral Wells."
The old Katie Ware Home is also shown here. The style appears to be Queen Anne, Free Classic sub-style but it shows signs of extensive remodeling. Note the slightly unusual polygonal tower, and the front porch (which also serves as a car-port) that is level with the ground. It was located at 911 N. Oak Street. The photograph was taken taken during June of 1974.
The old Katie Ware Home, of Queen Anne Style, shows possible remodeling. Please note the slightly unusual octagonal tower. Also note the front porch, level with the ground. The building was located at 911 N. Oak Avenue. It has since [2008] been demolished. The picture was taken on taken June of 1974. The picture shows the home from the front.
This is a picture of old Matt Skeen Home at 516 NE 4th Avenue, Mineral Wells, Texas. The porch, the face of the gable, and the differing roof lines all suggest later remodeling. Note the unusual candle-snuffer roof of the unusually-placed tower. The picture was taken June of 1974.
Palo Pinto General Hospital opened in 1970 and is located west of Mineral Wells. It has been, since this picture was taken, enlarged and remodeled extensively. This hospital replaced the downtown Nazareth Hospital. While the hospital was been built, the first two floors of the Crazy Water Hotel was used as a hospital. This picture is featured in "Time Once Was in Mineral Wells" on page 168.
A panoramic view, probably from South Mountain, looking north-east is shown here. A portion of the mountain has been dug out and leveled for a gasoline station. Also visible are the Baker Hotel and First National Bank (now Bank of America) to the left of center.
Shown here is a panoramic View of Mineral Wells, Texas taken August 8, 1974. The Baker Hotel and the Crazy Water Hotel are visible. The Convention Center is seen in the far left of the photograph. The view is from West Mountain, looking toward East Mountain over north Mineral Wells.
Panoramic photo taken from West Mountain, looking toward East Mountain over North Oak Street in Mineral Wells. The Convention Center, Box Factory, and The Crazy Water Hotel are visible. Native plants are visible in the foreground.
Panoramic photograph of Mineral Wells, looking east from West Mountain. The Baker Hotel and First National Bank (now Bank of America) are visible in center of photograph. Native plants are pictured in the left of photograph.
Photograph of a panoramic view of northwest Mineral Wells from West Mountain, looking toward East Mountain. Included in photograph are the Convention Center, the Box Factory, and the Crazy Water Hotel.
First page of the minutes of the Mineral Wells Bicentennial Committee, held in the old Nazareth Hospital in 1975. It includes a list of attendees and a summary of some of the discussion points.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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