Boyce Ditto Public Library - 822 Matching Results

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Bird's Eye-view of Mineral Wells

Description: Two contiguous negatives, taken from East Mountain, looking Southwest are shown here. Please note that some landmarks have been numbered in ink on the photographs. On the first [upper] photograph (No. 3), the pavilion with the steeple on the roof,is the Hawthorne well, located at 314 NW 1st Ave. (No. 4), the large two-story structure, is the Crazy Drinking Pavilion. The Lithia Pavilion is the structure between the Hawthorne and Crazy pavilions. Note also the Hawthorn House (No. 5?), locat… more
Date: 1905?

[A Bird's Eye-view of Mineral Wells]

Description: An early panoramic view of Mineral Wells is shown here. The picture is a composite of two views taken from East Mountain. Attached to the composite is a date "1901." The large building in the front middle of the picture is the Holloway & Haley livery stable. Some of the buildings are numbered on the photograph. Recognizable are: (2) The Hawthorn Well, with steeple (Right middle of the picture), (4) The original Crazy water drinking pavilion (two-story with smaller upper third floor, right … more
Date: 1901/1902

[A Bird's Eye-view of Mountains in the Distance]

Description: llustrated here is a view of Mineral Wells from the southeast, looking northwest. On the left, the large building in front of the hill is the Chautauqua, built by public subscription in 1905. It was demolished sometime about 1912. The large white building near the edge at the left middle of the picture was the First Baptist Church, which served the congregation from 1900 to 1920. The dim building under the hill at the upper right of the picture is the East Ward School (Mineral Wells' first H… more
Date: unknown

[Blind Nellie at the Austin Well]

Description: Colonel W. R. Austin came from Kentucky to Palo Pinto County about 1880, and settled on Staggs Prairie. When an infection in his eye responded to mineral water treatment, he established the Austin Well, later operated by his son-in-law, Tom Sims. Blind Nellie was a fixture of the Austin Well for years. She had an interesting history: A cowboy rode her into town one day, and auctioned her off to the highest bidder, J.H. Coleman, who bid a dollar and a half for her. Then Bob Kyle took Col… more
Date: 1900?

[A Boy and a Girl in Fancy Dress]

Description: This photograph shows a pre-pubescent boy in formal attire standing by a girl with a dress that has furbelows, with the train drawn in front of her, and wearing a fleury crown (of cardboard?). She carries a nosegay. He has a boutonniere. An inscription on the back of the picture reads: "Patsy Baughn I think Geo. Kossteson [?]" The boy has been identified as George Kesterson III, who was born in Mineral Wells on September 23, 1923 and died in Tarrant County, Te… more
Date: unknown

[A Brazos River Scene]

Description: This 1925 photograph shows individuals, in clothing of the period, at the Brazos River. It appears to be a holiday outing. Some of the people sitting and standing are in full dress, and not wearing swim suits. The flat and sandy shore is reminiscent of the Village Bend area of the Brazos River in the vicinity of Oaks Crossing (the early Brazos ford on the main road from Palo Pinto to Weatherford) some 6 miles southeast of Palo Pinto. The opposite shoreline in the photograph is rocky, with he… more
Date: unknown

[The Brewer Home]

Description: 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.
Date: April 4, 1976

[The Brick Factory]

Description: The abundant clay in and around Palo Pinto County was recognized around the turn of the 20th century as a source of raw material for brick manufacturing. Rejected fine coal from the area's coal mines furnished heat to fire the clay and bake it into brick. This brick factory in far western Parker County, near the Rock Creek coal mine, was a major industry in Mineral Wells. The factory was first opened on January 21 of 1921. The factory is in full operation in this photograph, with train cars… more
Date: unknown

[The Brick Highway Between Mineral Wells and Weatherford]

Description: The 1936 ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new brick highway between Weatherford and Mineral Wells, now U.S. Highway 180, is depicted here. This photograph was taken just seconds before the photograph found on page 97 of A. F. Weaver's book, "TIME WAS..." 2nd edition. Some of the dignitaries in the photograph are Allen Wallace, W.A. Ross, Pat Corrigan and Paul Woods. The new highway to Weatherford began at the 900 block of East Hubbard, and the bricks to fashion the highway were hand-laid b… more
Date: unknown

[The Brick Road East of Mineral Wells]

Description: The brick highway (emphatically not yellow brick!) east of Mineral Wells (the Bankhead Highway) was the nation's first transcontinental highway, beginning at milepost 0 on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. and ending at San Diego, California. Bricks for it in this area were made in Thurber, Texas (on the Palo Pinto/Erath county line). All bricks were laid by two (some say one) black masons. Bricks made in Thurber were also used to build the seawall at Galvest… more
Date: unknown

[The Bridge at the Old Elmhurst Park]

Description: This picture illustrates the swinging bridge crossing Pollard Creek in Elmhurst Park. Note the Mineral Wells Electric Railway street car (trolley) in the background. Elmhurst Park was located about where Southwest 25th Street and Southwest 25th Avenue are located today. Both Elmhurst Park and the streetcar operated from about 1907 to 1913. The dam over Pollard Creek was broached, and the lake was drained after the park closed. A housing development was built on the old Elmhurst Park gr… more
Date: unknown

[The Budweiser Clydesdale Team]

Description: A scene in the 200 block of North Oak, looking towards the south on Oak Avenue, taken in the 1930's is illustrated here. (Shadows indicate the picture was taken in the early morning.) The Budweiser Clydesdale team was introduced to the public in 1933, and is shown here along the 200 block west. The "CRAZY" sign that spanned Hubbard Ave. (now [2016] US Highway 180) a block behind the Clydesdale team was erected in 1933 also, probably later in the same year the picture was taken. A two-story gar… more
Date: unknown

[A Buffet Table]

Description: A buffet table, presumably in the Baker Hotel, is shown ready for guests (who are absent) to use it. Its opulence would reflect the quality of the hotel. The fact that the photograph is in color suggests that it was taken in the late twentieth century. The exact location of this buffet table is [2014] unknown. An ice sculpture of a sleigh and reindeer suggests a Christmas occasion. Further details are lacking.
Date: unknown

[A Buggy in Front of Presbyterian Church]

Description: A copy of this picture is found in A. F. Weaver's, "TIME WAS in Mineral Wells", Second Edition", on page 188. The caption states "Cumberland Presbyterian Church at 901 North Oak Avenue." Note the surrey with the fringe on top. The person in the buggy has been identified as Mrs. Flora Howard, daughter of William Winfield Hayworth "Howard", the minister of the church. Howard owned a hardware store, going under the name "W.W. Howard." He is also listed as a member of the I.O.O.F. The … more
Date: 1900?

[A Building at the 500 Block of SW 4th Avenue]

Description: This house, now [2009] located at 510 SW 4th Avenue at the corner of SW 4th Avenue and 5th Street, was a part of the original Mineral Wells College. The large structure was built in 1891 at 101 NW 5th Street. The front half of it was moved to its current location, and turned into a residence around 1902. The intersecting gables (and the hip roof) mark it as Queen Anne, but it may have undergone remodeling since it was built. Please note the two-story wraparound porch, which is rare in al… more
Date: unknown

[A Building Being Demolished]

Description: This building, once the second Post Office, had stood at the corner of 201 SE 1st Avenue and Hubbard Street. This building (as the photograph shows) was subsequently demolished. A Piggly Wiggly grocery store was located on its site. As of March 2, 2009, the place was occupied by the Dollar General Store. This picture may be found in A.F. Weaver's "Time Once was in Mineral Wells" on page 149
Date: unknown

[The Building of Camp Wolters]

Description: An automobile--presumably of the late 1930's--is parked by a building in the process of being built. Workmen may be seen at the site. A legend under the original reads: "Buildings seem to literally spring from the earth when the construction of the then Camp Wolters began in November, 1940. The camp was completed in less than four months and became the nation's largest infantry Replacement Training Center. Construction cost was approximately $14,200,000."
Date: 1940

[The Building of the Baker Hotel]

Description: Construction of the Baker HOTEL. [sic], which opened on November 22nd,1929 It was the work of Wyatt C. Hendricks, and Company, Architects. The building cost $1.2 million dollars to construct, of which Mineral Wells residents raised $150,000 towards it. It was built on the site of the land that once had held both the Lamar and Star Wells. A legend on the back of the photograph states: "Unknown man looks on. Photograph taken approximately from site of Methodist church, looking towards th… more
Date: unknown

[The Burning of the Crazy Flats]

Description: The "Crazy Flats" drinking pavilion, with rooms for rent, replaced a two-story Crazy Water drinking pavilion in 1909. The first Crazy Hotel was built in 1912, and an annex was added to it in 1914. A fire in the Drug Store of the "Crazy Flats" (SE corner of the Crazy Flats building) on March 15, 1925, destroyed the entire Crazy block. The burned-out site of the Crazy Hotel was bought in 1926 by Carr Collins. A "New", completely rebuilt, Crazy Hotel was promoted as fireproof, since it was bui… more
Date: March 15, 1925

[The Burning of the First Crazy Hotel]

Description: The first Crazy Hotel burned in 1925. This photograph shows the fire as it is burning out, and only a few pieces of the structure still stand. The sign seen in the left part of the photo says "Crazy Drug Co." which was the pharmacy inside the hotel. The hotel was rebuilt and claims to be fire-proof.
Date: 1925

[A Cabin on the East Mountain Stairs]

Description: Shown here is a photographer's cabin about halfway up East Mountain. A staircase of (reportedly) 1,000 stairs ascend the "Mountain" from Oak Avenue. A cabin was built about halfway up these stairs (visible in the lower right corner of the picture) to provide tourists with photographic souvenir opportunities. This photograph comes from the Knights of Pythias 1925 album.
Date: unknown

Cafe Royal

Description: Only a caption on the photograph identifies it as the Cafe Royal. This building that houses it, on the N.W. corner of NW 1st Avenue and 3rd Streets, was known as the W.E. Mayes Building. Upstairs rooms were rented under the name of the "Carlsbad Hotel" in recognition of the nearby Carlsbad Drinking Pavilion at the opposite (or NE) corner of the block: 700 NW 2nd Avenue. (The first edition of "Time Was in Mineral Wells", page 105, identifies it as the Wells Hotel.)
Date: 1900?

[The Calvary Baptist Church]

Description: 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 warra… more
Date: 1975

[The Calvary Baptist Church in 1975]

Description: 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… more
Date: 1975
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