[Photograph of Somerville Harvey House and Employees]

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Description

Photograph of the Santa Fe Somerville Depot Harvey House Restaurant and Hotel, with Harvey Girls and other employees standing on the porch outside of the two-story building. According to a typed note on the photograph, the restaurant was at the north end of the first floor of the depot, with the hotel on the second floor. The people in the photo are identified as, left to right, Mrs. Ella White (supervisor), Maggie Bell Mackey, Annie Huebner Tonn, Adline Balke, a maid, Bessie Balke, Dee Mackey, Mrs. Ed Mackey, Ello Woods, Wilson Woods, and Jessie Woods.

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 15 cm.

Creation Information

Creator: Unknown. 1913~.

Context

This photograph is part of the collection entitled: Rescuing Texas History, 2014 and was provided by the Private Collection of Rosa Walston Latimer to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. It has been viewed 749 times. More information about this photograph can be viewed below.

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Private Collection of Rosa Walston Latimer

The Private Collection of Rosa Walston Latimer consists of original, hand-written letters and other correspondence from former Texas Harvey Girls (and their families) who worked in Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe Railroad in Texas.

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Description

Photograph of the Santa Fe Somerville Depot Harvey House Restaurant and Hotel, with Harvey Girls and other employees standing on the porch outside of the two-story building. According to a typed note on the photograph, the restaurant was at the north end of the first floor of the depot, with the hotel on the second floor. The people in the photo are identified as, left to right, Mrs. Ella White (supervisor), Maggie Bell Mackey, Annie Huebner Tonn, Adline Balke, a maid, Bessie Balke, Dee Mackey, Mrs. Ed Mackey, Ello Woods, Wilson Woods, and Jessie Woods.

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 15 cm.

Notes

During the days of the steam engine, Texas was a significant link as the Santa Fe Railroad traveled across the country. Every 100 miles or so, passengers found food and service in a Harvey House. Originally established in Kansas in 1898 by Fred Harvey, an English immigrant, these gleaming restaurants were usually adjacent to the Santa Fe Depot. From Canadian to Kingsville, Harvey Houses provided food and service in refined, Fred Harvey fashion to train travelers as well as citizens of the community. The success of the Harvey Houses is primarily attributed to the waitresses, known as Harvey Girls. These girls came from the farms of the Midwest, the cities of the northeast, and many places between, to work in Texas. Often they helped develop communities along the railroad where there was little to attract businesses or residents.

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Rescuing Texas History, 2014

Rescuing Texas History collects photographs, newspaper articles, letters, postcards, and other historical materials from across the state and beyond to document and preserve the rich history of the state.

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  • 1913~

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Added to The Portal to Texas History

  • March 13, 2015, 12:16 p.m.

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Past 30 days: 1
Total Uses: 749
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Thumbnail image of item number 1 in: '[Photograph of Somerville Harvey House and Employees]'.
Thumbnail image of item number 2 in: '[Photograph of Somerville Harvey House and Employees]'.

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[Photograph of Somerville Harvey House and Employees], photograph, 1913~; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth599339/: accessed May 8, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Private Collection of Rosa Walston Latimer.

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