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[An Early Bird's-Eye-View of Mineral Wells]
A very early panoramic view of Mineral Wells (taken around 1882) from East Mountain and looking southwest is illustrated here. Locations identified by numbers are: 1: Judge Lynch's cabin, now Lynch Plaza at S. Oak Avenue and E. Hubbard Street; 2: The Mesquite Street well, middle of NE 1st Avenue (the second well in town, now [2008] abandoned); 3:The current center of downtown Mineral Wells, showing the intersection of Oak Avenue (US 281) and Hubbard Street (US Highway 180); 4: The current Fire and Police Departments; 5: S. Oak Avenue; 6: The Southern House Hotel; 7: The present "Business District", NE 1st Avenue; and 8: N. Oak Avenue (a residential area at the time.)
Date:
1882?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[An Early Panoramic View of Mineral Wells, Texas: 1882]
This photograph is an early panoramic view of Mineral Wells (taken approximately in 1882) from East Mountain, looking Southwest. Numbers on the photograph represent specific locations: 1. Judge Lynch's cabin, location of the first mineral water well; 2. N E 1st Avenue (second water well dug); 3. Oak Avenue and Hubbard Street; 4. Present location of the Fire and Police Station; 5. South Oak Avenue; 6. The Commercial Hotel (present location of the Gas Co.) 7. NE 1st Avenue business district; 8. North Oak Avenue. Note: The picture identifies number 6 as "The Commercial Hotel", but that hotel has been determined to have been located on South Oak Avenue. The hotel shown in the picture was the Early-Southern Hotel, which an 1893 guidebook clearly states was on Hubbard Street. The guidebook goes on to give the hotel's further location as "[O]n the same block with the post-office [sic] and three blocks from the depot." A Mr. Early is named as the proprietor.
Date:
1882?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[The Golens Livery Stable]
This picture, labeled on the back as "Golens Livery Stable", shows a wagon, three hacks and a buggy, each pulled by a two-horse team. The hack on the left (the white horse on the right of the team) has a "Green's Transfer" sign on it. The hack in the middle has a passenger and the one on the right has three. The man in the foreground is likely the livery stable's owner. An assistant is visible in the stable doorway. Hacks and buggies were typical of the transportation that Mineral Wells hotels sent to Millsap to meet every passenger train on the Texas & Pacific Railroad, from the time the T&P came through Palo Pinto County in 1882 until the Weatherford, Mineral Wells & Northwestern Railroad began service between Weatherford and Mineral Wells on January 1, 1897.
Date:
1882?/1897?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[The Middle Panel of the Oldest Known Panorama of Mineral Wells]
Shown here is the middle photograph of three that are arranged on pages 40 and 41 of A. F. Weaver's book, "TIME WAS In Mineral Wells", to create the "Earliest known panoramic view of Mineral Wells around 1882." It was taken from East Mountain looking to the southwest. The photograph includes the center of today's [2008] downtown Mineral Wells. A large white two-story building is shown at the left center of the picture on West Hubbard Street, at the site of the (later) Southern Hotel. The building at the far left edge of the picture occupies on the site of the current Mineral Wells Fire and Police Departments in the 200 block of South Oak Avenue.
Date:
1882?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Crazy Well, Mineral Wells, Texas
This is a picture of the first Crazy Well drinking pavilion, the first such facility in the city. When a Mr. Wiggins dug the third well in town, it was frequented by a "crazy woman" who was eventually cured of her dementia. Because of the word-of-mouth publicity, people came from miles around to drink the health-giving water. A house was built around the well for the convenience of the customers. The highly successful business attracted competition, and one of the most popular health spas in the nation grew from these beginnings.
Date:
1885
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[In Front of the Schoolhouse, ca. 1885]
The back of this photograph shows three notes: 1: "Taken in front of school house about 1885." (This photograph appears to be of the students and teachers of Mineral Wells' first public school, the "Little Rock Schoolhouse," built in 1884.) 2: "Donated by James H. Perry", and 3: "Some are dead. Some are married, and we are all scattered, never to meet on earth again." The school illustrated here was built in 1886, and a Mr. R.E. Hendry took up teaching duties--after he was almost single-handed in having the building set up. Land was procured in 1884, and stones from Rock Creek were provided, and cut at the construction site to make Mineral Wells' first permanent school building. It was a band hall, a choral hall, a gymnasium, and a storage place after it was a school. It now is the home of the Mineral Wells Heritage Society.
Date:
1885
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Texas Carlsbad Water
A group of people stand outside Texas Carlsbad Water. The Carlsbad was one of the earlier, and more popular drinking pavilions in Mineral Wells. It was located on NW 1st. Avenue, at NW 4th Street, directly across the street west of the Crazy Well. Its slogan was: Makes a man love HIS wife, Makes a woman love HER husband, Robs the divorce court of its business, Takes the temper out of red-headed people, Puts ginger into ginks and pepper into plodders. Please note the supports for possible electric lines, the unpaved street, and the horses obscurely visible at the far right of the photograph.
Date:
1895?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Texas Carlsbad Water
The first building for the Texas Carlsbad Well, one of the early mineral water wells which brought tourists to Mineral Wells is shown here. This picture appears on page 62 of "Time Was..." by A. F. Weaver, who dates it around 1895. Weaver includes a bit of advertising by Texas Carlsbad Mineral Water, "Makes a man love his wife, Makes a wife love her husband, Robs the divorce court of its business, Takes the temper out of red-headed people, Puts ginger into ginks and pepper into plodders."
Date:
1895?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[The Hexagon Hotel]
The Hexagon Hotel at 701 N. Oak Avenue, opened in December 1897. The brick building to the right was the Convention Hall (built in 1925 on the foundation of the Hotel's electric plant) for the West Texas Chamber of Commerce Convention. The Hexagon Hotel was demolished in 1959, the Convention Center in 1977.
Date:
1897/1959
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[The Hexagon Hotel]
A color photograph of the Hexagon Hotel is shown here. Please note the Convention Hall to the right (north) of the Hotel. The Convention Hall was built in 1925 to accommodate the West Texas Chamber of Commerce Convention, and was built over a portion of the foundation of the electric power plant of the hotel. In 1897 Galbraith was granted, by city ordinance, a 50-year franchise to illuminate the city. The Hexagon Hotel was torn down in 1959. Ira Tarwater (who had been contracted to do the work) remarked that "[I]t was the most novel building I have to tear down." He later said that he regretted doing it. The Convention Center was demolished in 1977.
Date:
1897/1959
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[The Hexagon Hotel]
The Hexagon Hotel was built in 1895 by David G. Galbraith, the inventor of the paper clip (not the familiar one, but another one very much like it) , and co-developer of acetate synthetic fiber. According to Ellen Puerzer ("The Octagon House Inventory", Eight-Square Publishing, copyright 2011), the building was twelve-sided, clad with clapboard, built on a stone foundation. Two English stonemasons did all stonework, presumably also the work on the DC generating plant next to the hotel. The rooms within were hexagon-shaped, with a bath being shared between every two rooms. The top floor was a reading room--popular at the time. The well-ventilated "honeycomb" structure (a master-stroke in the days before air-conditioning)opened in December 1897. The stone building behind and left of the Hotel is the plant for generating electricity used for light and fans (for a fee) in every room in the hotel. It also contained a steam laundry and an ice house on the first floor. The second floor was given over to a dining room for the hotel guests.
Date:
1897/1924
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[The Hexagon Hotel]
A large group of people, most sitting on donkeys, are shown out front of the Hexagon Hotel. Donkeys were used to transport visitors to the top of East Mountain for an overview of the City of Mineral Wells. It appears the party in this picture is preparing for such a trip. The Caldwell family ran the Hexagon Hotel as a boarding house for a while, hence the sign on the second floor of the building. H. L. Milling and his father also ran the hotel for a while, too. The building visible behind the hotel is the DC generating plant that supplied electricity to illuminate the building.
Date:
1897/1924
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[The Hexagon Hotel], Southside
This photograph is a cleaned-up version, by A.F. Weaver, of the Hexagon Hotel, at approximately the time of its completion. (The site has been cleaned, and the trash removed.) Construction of the Hexagon Hotel started in 1895, and it opened for business in 1897, to ameliorate Mineral Wells' torrid summertime heat years before air-conditioning became available, its design was such that it could catch every vagrant breeze, and cool the hotel. A DC generating plant (seen behind and to the left of the hotel) furnished power to an electric light in each room. It was the first electrically-lighted hotel in Mineral Wells. the plant was operational when the hotel opened. There was also a steam laundry and an ice house, as well. The ice house produced its first block of ice in 1903. The builder/owner, Mr. David G. Galbraith (along with five other men) held the patent for acetate. Mr. Galbraith was a prominent cattleman from Colorado City, Texas. He came to Mineral Wells in hopes of curing a sever attack of rheumatism. He took the baths, and found that they helped him, so he decided to remain in Mineral Wells, and open a hotel. The original photograph, included in …
Date:
1897/1959
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[A Portrait of Arthur Howard]
Photograph of Arthur Howard, who is dressed in a uniform, including a hat that identifies him as Assistant Chief. He is only visible from the chest up.
Date:
1898~
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Star Well (Winter Scene)
"Winter Scene--Shipping Star Well Water--From Min Wells Texas" The Star Well was located at the northeast corner of the intersection of NE 1st Street and NE 1st Avenue, across the street and north of the Baker Hotel. The telephone building is currently [2008] located there. A "date", handwritten on the bottom right corner of image, reads--possibly--"1899", which would explain the unpaved street and the lack of automobiles.
Date:
1899?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
The Bimini
The Bimini Mineral Baths, at 112 NW 4th Street, was built by Goodrum, Murphy and Croft, contractors in the early 1900's. The Bimini later became the Wagley Bathhouse. Dr. Wagley was an early pharmacist in Mineral Wells. The El Paso Morning Times in 1909 states that the re-building of the Bimini (the building here illustrated) will cost "...over $35,000." What the equivalent amount could be in modern-das dollars remains unknown. Please note the utter lack of automobiles, and the horse-drawn vehicle in front of the bath house. The meaning of the white-ink number "1861" remains to be determined.
Date:
1900?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[Blind Nellie at the Austin Well]
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 Coleman's bargain off his hands, but Colonel Austin was the one who profited most from her when he devised a method that used her to "pump" water from his well. This unique method of bringing water to the surface was an added attraction at the Austin. Instead of drawing it up by hand or using a power pump, Blind Nellie was trained to walk around in circles, pulling the water up from below. She would pause long enough for the water to empty and, as if on a hidden cue, would go around again as the receptacle was lowered back into the well, repeating her performance accurately each time. In later years, …
Date:
1900?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
[A Buggy in Front of Presbyterian Church]
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 Cumberland Presbyterian Church takes its name from Cumberland Street, Pennsylvania, where the sub-denomination (more Arminian than the main denomination) was founded. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is currently [2014] in Newberry, Texas. The building was sold to the Church of Christ, torn down and rebuilt. The North Oak Church of Christ still stands [in 2011] at this location, 901 N. Oak Ave. The picture is reliably dated to have been taken in 1912.
Date:
1900?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Cafe Royal
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?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Cliff Home
The Cliff Home, an early Mineral Wells hotel, stood on Northeast 2nd Street (formerly Coke Street) just east of the head of NE 1st Avenue (formerly Mesquite Street), and the site of the 1912 "Old Post Office" (now the Women's Club.) The hotel burned down in 1899, and the Plateau Hotel was built in its place. That hotel, in time, became The Exchange Hotel, which lasted until 1900, at which time it was demolished, and the Plateau Hotel was built in its place. It was touted as the only brick hotel in Mineral Wells in 1902. The Sanborn Map of 1907 gives the address as "207 E Coke", but the city Directory of 1909 lists the hotel as being at "211 E Coke." No building was listed in the City Directory in that block for the year 1920, save the Post Office. A street was added to the east of the Post Office between it and the Hotel Wilson(of which no further information at this time [2017] is available)/Mineral Wells Sanitarium (the building must have housed a hospital/clinic, as well), which was operated by a Doctor Buie. In 1924, the hotel was listed as being at 209 NE 2nd Street, …
Date:
1900?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
The Commercial Hotel
The Commercial Hotel, one of the early hotels in Mineral Wells, was located on South Oak Avenue, where the Mineral Wells Fire Department is now [2014] located. The Cutter Guide of 1893 states that the hotel was recently completed. It is listed as being "[T]wo blocks from the depot [and] 1 block [away] from the post-office [sic]." This picture may be found on page 101 of A.F. Weaver's book "TIME WAS In Mineral Wells."
Date:
1900?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
The Curtis House
The Curtis House was an early hotel at 315 E. Hubbard Street, where the Baker Hotel swimming pool is now [2008] located. This picture was handed down through the Curtis family to Robert Curtis, who donated it to A.F. Weaver June 25, 1996. A later view of the hotel is found on page 101 of A.F. Weaver's book "TIME WAS In Mineral Wells."
Date:
1900?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Exchange Hotel
[The] Exchange Hotel (also known as [The]Plateau in 1909, and later as the Hospital) was built on the site of the Cliff House, which was destroyed by fire. The house to the right was built in 1896 by Dr. A. W. Thompson as a wedding present for his second wife. The Mineral Wells Post Office was built on the vacant lot at the left of the hotel in 1912. The Hotel presents something of a conundrum. An annotation without date states that the Exchange Hotel was destroyed by fire and the Plateau Hotel was built in its place. A notation of 1902 states that the Plateau Hotel was the only brick hotel. A 1907 map shows the Hotel as being at 207 East Coke (Now NE 2nd Avenue) Street. In 1909, a St. Paul Sanitarium was listed at 118 NE 7th Street. .A map of 1912 shows the Plateau Hotel as still being in existence. The city directory of 1920 shows no building in the 200 block--except for the Post Office. A Mineral Wells City Directory of 1924 listed the former Exchange/Plateau building as the Mineral Wells Sanatorium. Dr. A.W. Thompson was still living in the house to the right …
Date:
1900?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History
The Fair Grounds and Race Track, Mineral Wells, Texas
Shown here is a picture of a dirt horse-race track and fair grounds,located southeast of town. It is not known if thoroughbred horses raced, but sulkies are known to have raced here. This course was the first of its kind in Mineral Wells. Another track was constructed at Elmhurst Park, in the southeast part of town, after this one was torn down.
Date:
1900?
Creator:
unknown
Object Type:
Photograph
System:
The Portal to Texas History