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[416 NW 6th Street]
Shown here is a photograph of the front and west side of a multi-story Queen Anne-style, cement-block house located at 416 NW 6th Street in Mineral Wells, Texas. It has many architectural features displaying the sub-type Patterned Masonry, such as the shaped parapets on the tower, and on the gables, as well as the Palladian window on the tower. The rectangular tower is unusual. Although it is not obvious in this photograph, there are more than the normal number of chimneys. The house is said to have a fireplace in each room--each one of which was unique. The fireplaces are said to have been faced with Italian marble. A picture in the "Daily Mineral Index" (that is thought to be contemporary with the house) shows another, frontal view, which also displays a conservatory, not visible in this photograph.
[612 NW 6th Street]
This photograph of 612 N. W. 6th Street was taken on the Fourth of July, 1975. The house was built in 1905 by W. S. McCutcheon. The house has been owned and occupied from that time to the present time (2006) by Gil Hull. The local parish of the Episcopal Church held meetings in the basement that members lovingly called "the Catacombs." St. Luke's Episcopal Church is located next door on a lot donated by the McCutcheons. The style of the house is tentatively determined to be Neo-classical. (Possibly made over from Queen Anne, Free Classic.) It shows evidence of extensive remodeling. An earlier photograph is pictured on page 140 of "Time Was..." by A. F. Weaver.
[915 NW 4th Avenue]
This home at 915 NW 4th Avenue was built by Hugh Coleman in 1906. It was the first "Elegant" home built on NW 4th Avenue, and it was designed as an entertainment and social center. The style of the house has been tentatively identified as Italian Renaissance. This house was also home to the John Moore family, and to the family of Gerald Talkington. The photograph of house was taken April 4, 1976. This photograph is to be found on page 183 of "Time Was..." by A. F. Weaver.
[Art Weaver 's Studio]
This is a photograph of the 400 block of North Oak Avenue, showing various storefronts including Art Weaver Photography (412 North Oak Avenue), adjacent to and right of the Grand theater (formerly the Crazy Theater). The Baker Hotel is in the background on the skyline at the far right of the picture. The street is not really curved--it is the lens of the camera that took the photograph that makes it look so.
[The Crazy Water Well--1974]
What is said to be the original Crazy Woman's Well is preserved under the sidewalk at the northwest corner of the Crazy Hotel. This is supposed to be the well the mentally-challenged (or the once-designated "Crazy woman") drank from that "Cured" her dementia. Stories are in conflict about how many women there were--and whether the water actually cured any of them of epilepsy. Subsequent analysis of the water refuted a rumor that there was any Lithium was in it. Cutter's "Guide to Mineral Wells" (first published in 1893, re-printed in 2007) suggests that the first well was "[N]ear the center of one of the business blocks of the city, back of the hardware store of L. B . Kidwell. It is now out of use and, we learned, to be filled up." Although not used for years, this well probably only requires a pump to resume production. Printed on the back of this picture is "The Crazy Well as today", and stamped "Mar. 21, 1974."
{The Dedication of W.P (Bill) Cameron Monument: Senator Tom Creighton Speaks]
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 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.)
[A House at 401 NW 4th Avenue]
This picture gives a better view of the house shown in the succeeding photograph. It was taken in June of 1974. The house was built by P.E. Bock.
[A House at 401 NW 4th Avenue]
A home at 401 NW 4th Avenue taken June 1974 is illustrated here. The house was built by P.E. Bock, in what appears to be Colonial Revival style.
[Jarmon Alvis Lynch and Wife]
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 Mineral Wells Police Force and City/County Ambulance Service]
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, 911 North. Oak]
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 , 911 North Oak] Avenue
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.
[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.
[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, 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, 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.
[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, 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.
[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, 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, 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.
[Poston's Dry Goods - 1 of 15: Will Poston]
Will Poston is shown standing in the cashier's station of his department store, Poston Dry Goods (located at 107 N. Oak Avenue, Mineral Wells, Texas). Note the conveyor system by which the cashier received cash and statements from various departments, and distributed change and receipts. Central cashiers were common in department stores from the years of the Great Depression through the time of World War II.
[Poston's Dry Goods - 2 of 15: Will Poston Inside His Store]
Will Poston stands at the cashier's station, preparing to dispatch a runner to a clerk in his store, Poston Dry Goods. It was located at 107 North Oak Avenue in 1975.
[Poston's Dry Goods - 3 of 15: Will Poston Inside Cashier Station]
Will Poston, seated at the cashier's station in his store, Poston Dry Goods, located at 107 N. Oak Avenue, in 1975.
[Poston's Dry Goods - 4 of 15: Will Poston Holding Cable System]
Will Poston, standing, is poised in preparation to dispatch a container along a cable from the central cashier's office in his store, Poston Dry Goods in 1975. The store was located at 107 N. Oak Avenue.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 5 of 15: View of Safe]
Will Poston sits next to the safe in Poston Dry Goods store in 1975. Note the lettering on the safe "Baker, Poston and Co." Also note the many ledger books, which contained the numerous accounts and records required by the store's manual bookkeeping system, around Mr. Poston. Poston's was the largest apparel store in Mineral Wells after the Howard Brothers Department Stores discontinued operations. Many of the glass show cases in Poston's had come from the earlier Howards' store.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 6 of 15: With Display Case]
Will Poston stands with an antique [in 2008] thread (Please not the markings, "Clark", "O.N.T." "White" "Colors" on the drawers) cabinet in his store, Poston Dry Goods (located at 107 N. Oak Avenue). The year of the picture is 1975.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 7 of 15: With Display Case, Drawers Open]
Will Poston stands in the sewing department of his store, Poston Dry Goods (located at 107 N. Oak Avenue). The display case is open to show the different types and colors of sewing thread in stock. Colored threads were separated from white for easier selection, and both were available in various brands, spooled quantities and thread sizes.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 8 of 15: Royal Society Display Case]
The Royal Society embroidery and tatting thread display case with its owner, Will Poston standing next to it, is shown in the photograph. Poston Dry Goods stood at 107 N. Oak Avenue, in Mineral Wells, Texas.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 9 of 15: Outside of Store Front]
Will Poston stands in front of his store, Poston Dry Goods (located at 107 N. Oak Avenue). Poston's was the largest department store in Mineral Wells after the Howard Brothers Department Stores discontinued operations. Many of the glass show cases in Poston's came from the earlier Howard Brothers store. These cases are on display in the store. The store itself is now the Mineral Wells branch of the Palo Pinto County courthouse.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 11 of 15: Inside View of Store]
Will Poston stands in his department store, Poston Dry Goods located at 107 N. Oak Avenue. The picture gives a broad view of the boot department of the Western attire carried by the store.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 12 of 15: Inside View of his Store]
Will Poston stands in his department store, preparing to dispatch a container to his cashier's department. A view of the boot department, with a typical stock of Western boots, is displayed.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 13 of 15: Inside Cashier Station]
Photograph of Will Poston standing behind a desk in Poston Dry Goods and reaching up to the handle of a pulley that was part of a messenger system in the store. Part of the store is visible behind him, including boxes stacked on shelves and clothing laid out on tables.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 14 of 15: Inside Cashier Station]
Will Poston surveys the domain in his store, Poston Dry Goods located at 107 N. Oak Avenue. The photograph was taken about 1975.
[Poston's Dry Goods, 15 of 15; Dry Goods case]
A sewing-thread display case, bearing the Corlicelli brand name, inside the Poston Dry Goods store (located at 107 N. Oak Avenue, Mineral Wells, Texas). Poston's was the largest dry goods store in town after the Howard Brothers Department Stores discontinued operations. Many of the display cases in Poston's (perhaps this was one of them) had come from the earlier Howard Brothers' store.
[The Rock School House]
The Rock School, erected in 1884, was Mineral Wells' first public school. It was last used in 1957 as a band hall. It was leased to the Mineral Wells Heritage Association in 1974, renovated and converted to a museum dedicated to the preservation of the history of the City of Mineral Wells. This picture appears to have been taken at the time of its renovation and conversion, as the worker on the ladder makes evident. The bell tower has been enclosed, and window screens and doors have been painted or replaced. The property now belongs to the Fifty Year Club, but the museum is still operated by the non-profit Heritage Association.
[St. Mark's Lutheran Church -- 16 of 18: Roof Reaching Towards the Heavens]
A detail of the gable and roof at the south end of St. Mark Lutheran Church (2301 SE 25th Avenue, Mineral Wells, Texas) is illustrated here.
[402 SW 5th Street]
A Victorian-era home (in Queen Anne style) is shown here, at 402 SW 5th Street. Please note the one-story tower, the multiple hip roofs and intersecting gables (which is characteristic of the style) and wraparound porch (which is much less so). The columns on the porch suggest a Free Classic sub-type, but other elements of the sub-type appear to be missing. Cut-away bays (common in Queen Anne architecture) are also missing, all of which suggest that this house had been remodeled sometime in the past.
[The Auction of the First Edition of TIME WAS In Mineral Wells]
This photograph shows the auction of the first ten copies of "TIME WAS In Mineral Wells", First Edition, 1975. Identified (facing the crowd in front row) are Mrs. Richard Warren (with arms folded); Mrs. A.F. (Patsy) Weaver; A.F. (Art) Weaver, Author; Rev. Bobby Moore, Auctioneer. The auction took place inside the restored "Little Rock School", Mineral Wells' first public school.
[The Auction of the First Edition of TIME WAS In Mineral Wells]
This photograph shows the purchaser who bought the first copy of "Time Was in Mineral Wells", and his wife. Left to right are: Rev. Bobby Moore, auctioneer; Jack Dickens, purchaser; A.F. Weaver, author; Mrs. Jean Dickens. Copy Number One sold for $153.57. (H. Arthur Zappe D.D.S., bought copy Number Two for $45, and Bill Bennett bought copy Number Three for an undisclosed price.)
[The Austin Well]
This photograph shows the Austin Well as it was in 1974. A legend on the back of photograph reads: "Looking south shows remains of Austin Well in the foreground with the remains of what used to be the crystal plant. Across the street may be seen the St Regis box plant." The former Crazy Water Crystal plant, at the left edge of the picture, is now [2009] the St. Regis box factory This well is associated with a unique and romantic history: It was dug by a Mr. Austin, who claimed to have "Sore eyes", so that he had difficulty riding a horse. The horse, however, faithfully led him to a well where Mr. Austin soothed his eyes. He saw improvement after six weeks; and moved to Mineral Wells, where he drilled a well of his own. A cowboy rode a blind mare into Mineral Wells and auctioned her off for a dollar and a half. Mr. Austin acquired the horse, and put her to work drawing water from the well by turning a wheel to which was attached a rope, which with each revolution of the wheel, pulled a bucket of water from the well to ground level. Nellie was trained to pause at a point in her circular route long enough for the bucket to be emptied, then continue on to pull up the next bucket when it was filled. Blind Nellie was retired in her old age, but continued to walk a similar circular route in the pasture to which she was retired, pausing in each revolution, as before, until her death in 1912. Texas Packaging Company, Incorporated, has occupied the box plant since 1980.
[Bill Cameron in Front of Old "Index" Building]
Bill Cameron stands before the old "Index" Building--on Northwest First Avenue (across from the Crazy Water Building).
[The Brewer Home]
The Brewer home on East Mountain is shown here, from a picture taken April 4, 1976. It is visible from most of North Oak Avenue. Originally the Murphy Home, the building underwent many renovations during the period of Mr. Murphy's residence. Mr. Murphy was a contractor who built many buildings in Mineral Wells, including the Mineral Wells High School (1914) and the third First Baptist Church. It is a good example of (re-modeled) Neo-classical architecture.
[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 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.
[The Colonel Boykin Home - 1301 SE 4th Avenue]
The Colonel Boykin Home, at 1301 SE 4th Avenue, Mineral Wells, Texas appears to show neo-classical elements, along with evidence of later remodeling. This home was built in 1905 by Colonel Walter H. Boykin, owner of the Fairfield Inn. It was later purchased by William Whipple Johnson who, with his brother, Harvey, originally developed the coal mines in Thurber, Texas. Johnson opened the Rock Creek Mine in far western Parker County (after selling the mines at Thurber) and lived in this home while he operated it. The Will Smith family owned the house during the 1930's The house was converted to a rooming house during World War II, and abandoned in later years. The abandoned house was bought in 1975 by Morris Wayne Garrett and his wife, Darlene. They salvaged artifacts from several historical buildings in Mineral Wells that were in the process of being demolished: A beveled-glass door from the old Miller Hotel, large claw-footed bathtubs from the Jerome Hotel, French doors and tall windows from the old Firemen's club at Lake Mineral Wells, and baluster rails which were once part of the Hexagon Hotel. Such were their efforts to restore the home to its former grandeur.
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