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[An Aerial View of Mineral Wells (2 of 2)]
This aerial photograph is adjacent to, and south of, the previous photograph. It is taken from South Mountain, looking east-south-east. The Chautauqua is on the upper left of the picture. The Crazy Flats Drinking Pavilion (which burned March 15, 1925) is below and to the right of the Chautauqua. The area in foreground is a residential area of west Mineral Wells, Texas.
[The Carlsbad Well: Second Building]
Shown here is a picture of the second Carlsbad Well building, as it appeared around 1915. The stained (or painted) glass windows are shown installed, and the "Ben Hur" street car tracks have been removed. This picture appears in Weaver, A. F., "TIME WAS ...", 1st Edition, on page 63. The original Carlsbad Pavilion was on the northeast corner of NW 1st Avenue and NW 6th Street, directly across the street west of the Crazy Drinking Pavilion. The Mineral Wells Lakewood Park Scenic Railway provided a gasoline-powered motor car, a "Dinky Car", which provided service every 1/4 hour to Lake Pinto from 1903 to 1909. The "Ben Hur" was the last and largest of the "Dinky Cars" whose tracks, on NW 1st Street, passed the Carlsbad pavilion and turned west on NW 6th Street. The El Paso Morning Times of 1909 reports that the construction of the second Texas Carlsbad building will cost about $40,000. The equivalent sum in modern dollars is not known. The new building was to be "50 x 130 feet. It will be fire proof [sic] and steam heat [sic]." The building was taken over by the Crazy Hotel for the Crazy Laundry and Dry Cleaning after the drinking pavilion was closed in the 1930's.
[The Crazy Flats and First Crazy Hotel]
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. It was forcibly closed down in 2010. Also visible in the picture above the "Crazy" Complex and below the gap between West Mountain and South Mountain are the "Old High School", the "Little Rock School" and the Fourth Ward School. Four blocks behind and above the Hotel in the picture, the domed First Presbyterian Church is visible midway between the "Crazy Block" and the schools. The Roman Catholic church with its white steeple is at the far upper right, and the second Carlsbad Pavilion is across First Avenue, directly to the west (right rear) of the Crazy Flats.
[The Crazy Hotel Lobby]
This picture shows the First Crazy Hotel Lobby in 1913. The first Crazy Hotel was built in two sections; the first section, which contained this lobby, was built in 1912. The second section was added in 1914, and joined to the first with the two sections sharing this same sky-lighted lobby. A fire on March 15, 1925 destroyed the first Crazy Hotel along with all the other businesses in this block. The second Crazy Hotel, covering the entire city block, opened in 1927. It is now [2008] a retirement home. It was shut down--after much contention--in 2010.
[A Crowd at a Race]
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.
[The "Doodle Bug" Interior]
This photograph illustrates the interior of a McKeen motor car, known locally as a "Doodle Bug", with its dust-proof round windows. This one, owned by the Weatherford, Mineral Wells and Northwestern Railway, was an 81-passenger, 70-foot-long, 200-horsepower, gasoline-powered, motor coach. It traveled from Graford through Oran and Salesville to Mineral Wells, thence on to Dallas. It made a round trip daily from 1912 to 1929. A turntable at Graford turned the coaches around. There were two "Doodle Bugs" on the WMW&NW. The third similar coach, owned by the Gulf, Texas and Western Railroad (GT&W), traveled from Seymour through Guthrie, and Jacksboro to Salesville beginning in 1913. It proceeded thence over the WMW&NW track to Mineral Wells, and on to Dallas. The McKeen Motor Car Company was run by one William B. McKeen, who was both red-haired and described as "Flamboyant." He painted his demonstration cars bright red, and reproduced an image of them on his letterhead. He has been described as a "Hard-sell artist in an industry more accustomed to polite suggestion." He "Bombarded railroad presidents, big and small, with volley after volley of rapid-fire sales letters and telegrams, often following them up with personal visits." He was also characterized as being "Stubborn, strong-willed and very forceful." His motor-cars--with porthole windows and with a knife-front (which he felt would lessen air resistance, an idea that was vindicated much later)--were characteristic. His motor-cars were called a "Glorious failure" (even though 152 of them had been built) for the reason that McKeen was unfamiliar with the internal combustion engine (as were practically all of the railroad people of his time)--and he relied too heavily upon the crude models that were in fashion in his time. The light rails and branch lines that they were to run on became the occasion of many …
[Downtown Mineral Wells, Texas : January 11, 1919]
Downtown Mineral Wells, Texas is shown here, as taken on January 11, 1919. The first Crazy Hotel is the prominent building in the right middle portion of the picture. The first Roman Catholic Church can be seen on the side of West Mountain in the upper middle of the picture and the old High School, the "Little Rock School", and the West Ward School are at the base of West Mountain in the far upper left part of the picture. The Dr. A.W. Thompson home is at the foot of East Mountain in the lower middle foreground of the picture. The wide street in the left middle of the picture is NW 2nd Street, looking west. The First Presbyterian Church is the domed building on the right of 2nd Street at NW 4th Avenue, near the far end of NW 2nd Street.
[Farmer's Market at the Dancing Pavilion at Elmhurst Park]
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 made transit by street car unprofitable by 1913, 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.
[A Horse-Drawn Fire Wagon]
Photograph of a horse-drawn fire wagon, pulled by two white horses and driven by a man.
[Ladies With Parasols]
"Sllew La Renim" (a social club) was "Mineral Wells" spelled backwards. Its members pose in front of the Old Post Office in 1913. Identified in the photograph are: Anna Mae Guinn, Ernestine Pollard, May Belle Smith, Ann Locke Galbraith, Ruby Andrews, Mattie Withers. Note the Mineral Wells Sanitarium in the left background. This photograph may be found on page 118 of "TIME WAS...", First Edition by A.F. Weaver.
Laying the Cornerstone of the Post Office
Shown here is the laying the cornerstone of the Post Office at 201 NE 2nd Street on May 13, 1912. The Chautauqua is at the upper left corner of the picture, and the Cliff House Hotel is visible in the upper middle of the picture. Buildings on the right side of the picture were situated on the east side of Mesquite Street (now NE 1st Avenue). Buildings on the far right of the picture were once located where the Baker Hotel now [2008] stands. Early automobiles and horse-drawn carriages also appear in the picture. The photographer appears to have been standing on the north side of NE 2nd Street, looking east. A holograph inscription above and below the picture cannot be read.
[Mineral Wells' First Police Department]
Mineral Wells' first Police Department is shown on horseback here. On the far left is Jim Barrett, Chief, and in the middle is Paul Granbury. The man on the right remains unknown. This photograph comes from A. F. Weaver's, "TIME WAS In Mineral Wells", page 153. The picture appears to have been taken at the photographer's souvenir picture stand on the donkey trail about halfway up East Mountain. J. C. McClure, an early photographer, first owned the donkeys for the trail; but he was killed while riding a wild stallion on Oak Avenue. J. L. Young and his wife took over the photographer's stand. They built a rock house, here as a background, for souvenir pictures. In 1895, a policeman (C.M. Harris) was appointed as City Marshall." A night watchman (A. Scott) was also appointed. Their respective duties were primarily fire prevention and keeping livestock from roaming the streets; and seeing to it that businesses were properly locked up. Boys under the age of 17 were forbidden from roaming the streets at night (under pain of a $10 fine). C.M. Harris was elected to his position in 1896, at a salary of $60 per month. In 1889, upon the sudden death of Frank Johnson, Harris was appointed Interim Marshall to "Inspect and supervise all premises and places of business." J.I. Johnson became night watchmen at the salary of $12.50, and he was charged with roaming the streets at nights to be on the lookout for fire. The City Marshall was expected to corral any stray dogs--and kill them if they were unclaimed. He was to remove the carcasses from the city limits afterwards. in 19001, an ordinance was passed forbidding the possession of pigeons in the city--the control of which fell to the City Marshall. [Note: Several kinds of dove …
[Mr. and Mrs. R.S. Dalton]
"Mr. & Mrs. R.S. Dalton on their 50th Wedding Anniversary as held in the second wooden structure of the First Baptist Church. Presiding is The Reverend Mr. Harlan Matthews." Robert (Bob) Dalton's father, Marcus L. Dalton, was killed by Indians on the Ft. Worth-Ft. Belknap military road in northeastern Palo Pinto County in 1870. Bob Dalton discovered the Dalton Oil Field on his ranch in north central Palo Pinto County, and the boom town that sprang up there was named Dalton City after him. He later moved to southwest Mineral Wells before building a large home, adorned with native rock, on 2101 NW 4th Avenue.
[Panoramic Photograph of Mineral Wells]
Panoramic photograph of Mineral Wells taken from Southwest Mountain looking southeast. The ice plant is visible in the right center of this picture, but other landmarks have not been identified.
[Photograph of View from West Mountain]
Photograph taken after the Chautauqua was demolished (that is, about 1912). The foundation can be seen in the upper right quadrant. The Post Office, completed in 1913, is visible to the right of the Chautauqua ruins. The old viewing tower on the top of the hill, destroyed by a tornado in 1930, is just barely visible in the trees on top of the hill. The first Crazy Hotel and Crazy Flats drinking pavilion, which burned in 1925, are seen one block northwest of the Post Office. The Murphy home is on top of the hill in the middle of the photograph. The Hexagon Hotel (torn down in 1959) is just above and left of the center. The Vichy Well is just to the right of the Hexagon House, and is now the location of the North Oak Community Center. In the the next block north (left) of the Hexagon House, facing west, is the Fairfield Inn with a ground-level entrance on each floor. Note the city's water tower at left center.
[Pole Vaulting at Elmhurst Park]
Information on the back of the photograph states: "Games (pole vaulting) at Elmhurst Park two miles southwest of Mineral Wells where [the] sewage treatment plant is now located. Picture taken around 1910."
[Sllew La Renim]
The caption on page 118 of "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells" (first edition, 1974) by A. F. Weaver, states: "The "SLLEW La RENIM Club was 'Mineral Wells' spelled backwards. The members pose in front of the Old Post Office in 1913: Anna Mae Guinn, Ernestine Pollard, May Belle Smith, Ann Locke Galbraith, Ruby Andrews, Mattie Withers." The ladies of the time used parasols to shade themselves from the sun. (There are seven ladies in the picture, but only six are identified. As deduced from the notes on the back of the picture, Mary Lee Hayes is believed to be the third lady in line in the picture.) The Mineral Wells Sanitarium, originally known as The Exchange Hotel, is shown in the upper left of the picture.
[Two Women in Wylie Park]
Two women (one using an umbrella as a parasol) are pictured strolling in Wylie Park. Notes on back of the photograph read: "Corner of N. Oak and N.E. 1st Street, the West side of Wylie Park, a popular place for strolling." North Oak Avenue is in background, with North to the right in the picture. Hazelwood Drugs is on the west side of Oak Ave, opposite the park. Mineral Wells. The streets of Mineral Wells were paved in the summer of 1914. A wagon can be seen traveling north on Oak Avenue. What appears to be a work crew may be seen at the corner indicates that the finishing touches may have been in the process of being applied to the paving as the picture was taken.
[A View From South Mountain Toward East Mountain]
A view from South Mountain, toward East Mountain, before the Baker Hotel was built in the 1929 is shown here. The Old Post Office building, built in 1912, is in the upper left quadrant. This picture is one of 17 negatives that were in an envelope from Charles W. Simonds (Route 5, Box 43, Norman, Oklahoma, 73069), postmarked "Aug. 4, 1975", and addressed to A.F. Weaver Photography. Also on the envelope were some telephone numbers and "Father - C.W. Simonds (Clarence Winfield)."
[A View of Mesquite Street, Mineral Wells]
An early scene of Mesquite Street (now [2008] NE 1st Avenue) looking North toward old U.S. Post Office from the corner of East Hubbard Street, after a rain? Electrical lines are present as are cars and trucks typical of the post-1914 era, when the streets of Mineral Wells were paved. The cornerstone for the Post Office was laid in May, 1912. The building on the near right housed Campbell's Bargain store. It occupied the site of the current Baker Hotel (Opened in 1929.)
[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.
[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.
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