[The Crazy Flats and First Crazy Hotel]
Date: c. 1914
Creator: unknown
Description: A view of early Mineral Wells from East Mountain shows the Crazy Flats in the foreground, and the first Crazy Hotel at the left, at the rear of it. The small building at the right, rear of the Crazy Flats housed the "Crazy Woman's Well" that contributed the generic "Crazy Water" name to the local mineral water. Crazy Flats, the second Crazy Drinking Pavilion with "Rooms for Rent" on the second floor, was built in 1909. The first Crazy Hotel was built in two sections: The first section, at the left rear of Crazy Flats, was built in 1912, and the second section, left of it, was built in 1914, and joined to the first with a common lobby. The low building to the left of Crazy Flats and in front of the Hotel was the Crazy Bath House and Drugstore. A fire started in the drugstore March 15, 1925, and destroyed the entire city block. The second Crazy Hotel, covering this entire city block, opened in 1927. The original Crazy Well is now situated in the sidewalk at the northwest corner of the Hotel with a cover over it. The second Crazy Hotel is now [2008] a Retirement Home. ...
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library
Permallink:texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth29442/
Crazy Theatre
Date: c. 1914
Creator: unknown
Description: The Crazy Theater was located at 400 North Oak Avenue, on the east side of the street opposite the Crazy Hotel. The sign reads: "Week Commencing Monday June 22." The street does not appear to be paved, which dates the picture prior to 1914. Bennett's Office Supply now [2013] occupies the site of the former theater. The theater features in A. F. Weaver's "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells..." on page 17.
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library
Permallink:texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20439/
[Crazy Theatre With Car]
Date: c. 1918
Creator: unknown
Description: This photograph may be found in A. F. Weaver's Book, "Time Was...", 2nd edition, on page 17. It is captioned "Crazy Theater, 400 North Oak Avenue, photo around 1918."
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library
Permallink:texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20431/
[Crowd at Race]
Date: c. 1910
Creator: unknown
Description: A note on the back of the picture identifies this scene as being at Elmhurst Park. The rails on either side indicate that this is a photograph of a race track. There is a chalk circle in the middle of the track, and a companion picture shows this circle being used for shot-put/discus competition. The spectator in the left foreground is leaning into the track to get a better look at a runner approaching the finish line at the far end of the track.
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library
Permallink:texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20329/
[Dancing Pavilion at Elmhurst Park]
Date: c. 1910
Creator: unknown
Description: Spectators are shown here, at a spring play-day frolic at Elmhurst Park around 1910. The popular park once boasted a Casino, a Dancing Pavilion, Exhibit Halls, and Outdoor Sports Fields. It hosted the County Fair and sports events until 1913. On the closure of Elmhurst Park, the City of Mineral Wells became the owner of the property. It was used for a housing development during World War II to accommodate families of soldiers and civilian workers at Camp Wolters. The City of Mineral Wells built city's water treatment facilities on the site of the former park after World War II.
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library
Permallink:texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth29834/
[Farmer's Market at the Dancing Pavilion at Elmhurst Park]
Date: c. 1910
Creator: unknown
Description: This photograph, printed in A.F. Weaver's "TIME WAS IN Mineral Wells..." on page 88, illustrates a display of fruit jars at the Mineral Wells Fair, held at the Dancing Pavilion at Elmhurst Park. Canned fruits and vegetables were customarily entered in Palo Pinto County's annual fall harvest fair. Elmhurst Park hosted the fair, among other popular events during its heyday. The popularity of personal automobile transportation about 1913 made transit by street car unprofitable, and the park closed shortly after the street cars were discontinued. The City of Mineral Wells' water treatment facilities are now located in the southwest part of town, on the former Elmhurst Park property.
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library
Permallink:texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth29833/
[The Foster Hotel]
Date: around 1910 (?)
Creator: unknown
Description: This picture depicts a hotel--done in Queen Anne style (Spindle-work subtype). Please note the unusual two-story wraparound porch, also with spindle-work. It appears to have been excerpted from a fragment of advertising copy that gives the name of the building as "The Foster", and extols the owner (Mr. T.J. Foster) as "...an old hotel hand of large acquaintance and wide experience, who has studied the wants and needs of his guests[,] and loses no opportunity of making them comfortable." Polk's Directory for 1910 lists the proprietor of the hotel as F. J. Kowalski. A hand-written note on the edge of the negative (not visible in the picture) states: "NW 1st Ave 6th Street." This address is only approximate. A more accurate address is given in the photograph "The Foster Hotel", also to be found in this collection. Although it is not certain, the clothes of the people shown standing around the hotel strongly suggest that the picture was taken early in the twentieth century. A barely-legible colophon, appearing to read "FONE" appears in the lower left-hand corner.
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library
Permallink:texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth60881/
Gibson Well
Date: c. 1910
Creator: unknown
Description: The discovery of mineral water, and its reported healing powers, sparked an influx of health-seeking visitors in 1881-82. A flurry of drilling activity resulted in incorporation of the city of Mineral Wells in 1882, as water was sought to satisfy the booming market; so much so that no one remembers the order in which the wells were drilled. The Gibson well, however, was one of the early ones. Located at 705 NW 2nd Avenue, it grew into one of the largest parks and drinking pavilions in town. The gasoline-powered "Dinky cars" of the Mineral Wells Lakewood Park Scenic Railway passed by it every quarter-hour, from 1905 to 1909, on their journeys to and from Lake Pinto. The Gibson property was acquired by the Crazy. It was known as the Crazy Park in 1938, and it was made into a beautiful botanical garden. It is currently the site of the First Christian Church.
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library
Permallink:texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth24963/
[Gibson Well - Souvenir Photograph]
Date: c. 1910
Creator: unknown
Description: This picture appears to be a souvenir photograph of the Gibson Well drinking pavilion and park, one of the earliest mineral water supply spots in Mineral Wells. It grew into one of the larger parks and pavilions in town. The gasoline-powered "Dinky Cars" of the Mineral Wells Lakewood Park Scenic Railway passed here every quarter-hour (from 1905 to 1909) on their journey to and from Lake Pinto. The Crazy Industries had acquired the property by 1938, and it became known as Crazy Park, a beautiful botanical park. The mineral water industry became a victim of the FDA and the wartime activities during World War II. As a result, the mineral water pavilions, along with other parts of the local health industry, died a slow death. The First Christian Church now occupies the site of the Gibson pavilion.
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library
Permallink:texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth24962/
[Horse-Drawn Fire Wagon]
Date: c. 1912
Creator: unknown
Description: Mineral Wells had an early horse-drawn fire wagon, pulled by two white horses (named Joe and Frank) and driven by a man named Cogdell. This picture is included on page 189 of the Second Edition of "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells...", by A. F. Weaver. The city's first fire station was located at 202 N. Oak Avenue, but the horses had difficulty responding to emergency calls from this fire station because the fire wagon's wheels tended to get trapped in the street car tracks that ran down the center of Oak Avenue, which was not paved at that time. This fire was in the central business district (note the roofs of two multistory buildings, visible at the upper left edge of the picture.) Fire hoses laid along the street are being used by two men in the left middle background to furnish water to fight the fire. The location of this particular fire is not specified, but is probably the Delaware Hotel (formerly the St. Nicholas.) Mineral Wells has experienced several disastrous fires in the past; one in 1914, two blocks west of the Delaware' location, destroyed six city blocks.
Contributing Partner: Boyce Ditto Public Library
Permallink:texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth38080/