The Pharr Press (Pharr, Tex.), Vol. [49], No. [42], Ed. 1 Thursday, November 26, 1981 Page: 2 of 12
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Page 2B, The Pharr Press November 26, 1981
Pharr is.....
Kissed by the warm rays of a tropical sun, cooled by the
gulf-scented breezes from the east, decorated with
bouganvilleas, hibiscus and palms, filled with friendly people
who combine the easy hospitality of the Rio Grande Valley with
their own special charm, the city of Pharr attracts vacationers
and potential residents alike.
Alive with commercial activity that includes fruit and
vegetable industries and stores and shopping malls, Pharr is a
growing town of over 22,000.
Pharr’s “RV (Park) Capital of Texas” attests to her serenic
charm that coaxes thousands of Winter Texans to her many RV
park resorts and facilities. Over 15,000 visitors called Pharr
home for some length of time last year.
The newest and most modern RV centers are first-class
resorts that provide heated swimming, tennis, dances, tours to
Mexico adn myriads of other recreational opportunities.
Soft summer nights year-round mingle with zesty stains of
Mexican music across the border in Reynosa, a modern yet
culturally attractive Mexican city only 19 miles away. There
the sights and sounds of picture-book old Mexico come alive:
shopping,dining and night-time entertainment are 365-day
routines in Reynosa and mix with frequest fairs and bullfights
that make color pictures drab in comparison.
Pharr is special because everything is “just right”. A growing
city, but without the traffic congestion and noise of nearby
cities; close to the Gulf of Mexico and her sandy beaches and
great fishing, but without the high humidity of ocean-side
cities; and people who known how to open up with hospitality,
yet remain genuinely interested in people as people.
Pharr’s Clock Museum, a unique and interesting stop for
many, is one of only five such museums in the United States.
Over 1,650 old, rare, and antique clocks, plus music boxes,
printing presses and scales are on display in the museum.
Admission is free.
Winter Texans love the annual Pharr Vegetable Show. Shown above are
participants getting ready for the sack sale. All you can sack for $2.00.
Pharr's Clock Museum
Among the unique places of
interest in Pharr is the Clock
Museum, located at 929 East
Preston Street. It has more
than 1,650 old and rare clocks,
plus antique music boxes,
printing presses, scales, etc.
Clock collector, James Shane,
turned his enjoyable hobby of
collecting and repairing clocks
into the museum to share his
valuable collection with the
public.
He estimates that over 70
percent of his clocks are in
good working order, many of
which he had to repair
himself.
Shawn is especially pleased
with his collection of over 200
timepieces by German clock-
maker, Nicholas Muller. Mul-
ler’s timepiece collection are
still in the original castings
and are numbered three to
later pieces numbered at 1102.
He can also give a little
background on almost all of
them.
Mr. Shawn is perhaps
proudest of his pre-Civil War
Clock, which was shipped from
ndianola to Boston Harbor,
and from there brought by
oxcart to San Antonio, Texas.
The clock stood for 180 years
in the city’s oldest jewelry
store before Shawn acquired it
for$850. The case isn’t
scratched from all of the
travel, nor does it lose more Kitors can most likely find
than five seconds per month, jShawn at the museum
thanks to the 48 pound between 10 a.m. & noon and
mercury pendulum. from 2-6 p.m. daily.
The Clock Museum is next; While there is no admission
door to Shawn’s residence, and1 charge, donations are accepted
while it is not open on a and given to the Boy Scouts or
regular schedule, visitors are the Mley Lighthouse for the
welcomed to knock on the Blind. For more information
residence door for a tour. , call Shawn at 787-1923.
LiveSteam Museum
Pharr R.V. Capital
Home of the All Valley Winter Vegetable Show, Pharr buzzes
with enthusiasm from hundreds of 4-H Clubbers, FHA and
FFA boys and girls who participate in the annual event.
The Show entitles the youngsters to display their skills in
growing, judging, cooking and canning the more than fifty
varieties of vegetables grown in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The vast assortment of vegetables is exhibited for two days,
then auctioned on the final day of the show.
The Vegetable Show is held during the first week of
December at the Pharr Civic Center, admission is free.
A combination of the parks provides over 5,000 sites, plus
heated pools, tennis and shuffleboard courts, pool rooms etc.,
and a continuous schedule of different planned activities, plus
the largest ballroom in Texas.
Pharr has 11 hotels and motels with modern, comfortable
units to meet the needs of weary travelers.
Six parks are available with recreational and picnic facilities
for weekend and pleasure or just plain relaxation.
Within a 10-mile radius of Pharr, you can find several
beautiful golf courses in ideal spots which make the golfer feel
right at home.
New subdivisions are available where people can build to suit
their own ideas, and where people can build to suit their own
ideas, and where green thumbers can decorate their yards with
the Valley’s famous hibiscus, poinsettias, and bougainvilleas.
Pharr’s eating establishments offer everything to fit every
palate and pocketbook - from fast food to family style to
fabulods gourmet meals of seafood, steaks, Mexican and
Chinese cuisine, and everything in between.
Come visit us - you may decide to stay.
“Relive the Industrial
Revolution. See what made
us the greatest nation on
earth during the ‘Era of
Steam’.” These words tell
the story of the Live Steam
Museum, owned by W.R.
(Tommy) Tompkins of nea-
rby Alamo, who proudly
turned his hobby of steam
engines into an exciting
point of interest for visitors
and Valley residents.
A visit to the Live Steam
Museum will provide not
ony educational benefits,
but fun as well, as you glide
through the citrus orchards
of Valencia oranges, Ruby
Red Grapefruit, tanerines
and lemons on a 15-guage
steam engine minature
locomotive.
Many pioneer engines from
the 1800’s, which played a
large part in the developm-
ent of the present day
agricultural Center in the
Rio Grande Valley, can be
seen at the museum.
Tompkins has not limited
his display to agriculture.
You will surely enjoy
everything from miniature
Jpanese steam engine to a
World War II Liberty Ship.
There is also the refreshing
citrus bar and souvenir shop
featuring model steam
engines, • post cards anct'1
, rfresh citrus honey. Citrus
can be shipped to any point
in the United States.
Visit the Live Steam
Museum, located 1 and
Three-Fourths miles north
of U.S. 83 on Alamo Road
(FM 907). It is open daily
from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Admission is $1.00 for adults
and 50 cents for children.
E-Z
ONE OF THE LOWEST RATES IN THE VALLEY
ALL CARS PRE-OWNED
MECHANICALLY SOUND t SAFETY CHECKED
MAJOR CREDIT CARDS OR CASH
RENT-A-CAR DRIVE A
"SSSK- " bargains
McALLEN - MISSION-PHARR FREE DELIVERY
Why Buy Itl-Rent Itl
999 W. HWY. 83-PHARR, TEXAS 781-2951
Ask for: FRED HORNER
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Nelson, Charles. The Pharr Press (Pharr, Tex.), Vol. [49], No. [42], Ed. 1 Thursday, November 26, 1981, newspaper, November 26, 1981; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth867050/m1/2/: accessed June 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Pharr Memorial Library.