Slaton Harvey House

Notorious Harvey Girls!

Thu, 26 Apr 2018 02:27:00 GMT

By Rosa Walston Latimer.

The story of the hiring process of the Fred Harvey company is well known. Harvey’s advertising in women’s magazines and newspapers for “educated women of good character to go West to work” enticed young women to the Kansas City office for a personal interview. If they met Harvey standards the women boarded a train headed for a Harvey House to proudly wear the respectable black and white uniforms of the Harvey Girls.

In the early years of hiring Harvey Girls, one woman in the Kansas City office, Alice Steele, conducted all of the interviews and made the determination of who was worthy to represent Fred Harvey in far-flung locations as the Santa Fe Railroad expanded passenger service towards California. However, as the railroad towns became more populated and Harvey Houses became well known as offering favorable jobs for young women, the local Harvey House manager began to handle most of the interview and hiring process. Even though most local women came to an interview with a personal recommendation or perhaps a letter from her minister, occasionally a not so “educated woman of good character” ended up on the local Harvey House payroll.

While doing research for a series of books about the history of Harvey Houses most of my interviews with former Harvey Girls included stories about how employees were like family and often went to great lengths to help each other in times of trouble. There were also a few scattered stories of a petty thief among the Harvey Girls who shared close living quarters or a waitress who misrepresented the truth to gain a promotion or transfer to a more favorable location. After all, in over 80 years of employing approximately 100,000 Harvey Girls there was certainly going to be some who didn’t live up to the wholesome reputation.

Well-documented stories reveal examples of two Harvey Girls who took serious missteps to a wilder side of life: Madam Millie and Cecil Creswell.

Most likely, the most notorious Harvey Girl worked in Deming, New Mexico. Mildred Fantetti Clark Cusey was born in 1906 in Kentucky and was orphaned at the age of twelve when her parents died during a flu epidemic. When her older sister, Florence, contracted tuberculosis, Mildred moved with her to Deming where her sister was admitted to the Holy Cross Sanatorium at Camp Cody. Mildred was hired as a Harvey Girl through the recommendation of a friend with whom she attended church.

Not every Harvey Girl was a saint

One version of what happened after Mildred became a Harvey Girl is that she was transferred to Needles, California, and because of the extremely hot climate, she quit and returned to New Mexico but not to the Harvey House. Instead, Mildred went to work at a brothel in Silver City, New Mexico. In the 1930s, while still in her twenties, Mildred had acquired three “houses of pleasure” in Silver City, one in Deming, one in Lordsburg, New Mexico and one in Laramie, Wyoming. Eventually her “business establishments” stretched from New Mexico to Alaska.

Another account of Mildred Cusey’s story claims she couldn’t make enough money as a Harvey Girl to meet the demands of caring for her sister and was forced to make a different career choice. Regardless of the “why” of Mildred’s story, she later became known as Madam Millie and proved to be a very successful business woman. In addition to many brothels, she also owned a ranch, restaurants and various homes. Mildred was very active in business and local charities and was once described by a Deming resident as “the most sincere and giving person I ever met.”

Mildred died in 1993 at the age of eighty-seven. Her biography, “Madam Millie: Bordellos from Silver City to Ketchikanit” was published by the University of New Mexico Press in 2002. While further researching this unusual Harvey Girl story, I discovered that Madam Millie’s last husband of twenty years, James Wendell Cusey, was a naval veteran of World War II, and Millie is buried next to him in Fort Bayard National Cemetery near Silver City, New Mexico. While not entirely living up to the wholesome image of a Harvey Girl, Madam Millie was a survivor and certainly made her own place in history.

In a few weeks, I’ll share another unusual Harvey Girl story of Juanita Van Zoast who later became known as Cecil Criswell, cattle rustler.

Rosa Walston Latimer is the award-winning author of a series of books about the establishment

of Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe Railroad: Harvey Houses of Texas, Harvey Houses of New

Mexico and Harvey Houses of Kansas, a 2016 Kansas Notable Book Award. Rosa’s next book, Harvey Houses of Arizona, will release in the Spring, 2019.

A Lasting Legacy of Hospitality

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 05:57:00 GMT

Harvey Girls

By Rosa Walston Latimer.

Research of Fred Harvey and his inventive approach to business has revealed his contribution of many familiar hospitality-related practices such as the “blue plate” lunch special and requiring men to wear coats in the dining room. However, perhaps the Harvey “way”’s most influential and long-lasting impact is dedication to exemplary customer service.

You can imagine how unusual it must have been for early 20 ^th century railroad passengers to encounter impeccable table settings and Harvey Girl service in the mostly uncivilized Southwest! Today the few remaining Harvey Houses that provide food service remain loyal to the Fred Harvey way of doing business and nowhere will you find more dedication to that principle of customer service than at the Slaton Harvey House. A visitor from Nebraska provided this review of her recent stay:

A recent stay at the 1912 Slaton Harvey House proves that vintage charm can be combined with modern upgrades to provide a most relaxing stay. From the re-created newsstand now serving as the registration desk to the convenient elevator every amenity is provided. But be sure to make at least one trip up the original staircase with metal steps and imagine the Harvey Girls at work. The bedrooms are furnished with comfortable beds and up-to-date bathrooms. Decorative accessories provide era-appropriate ambience. Spend a night or a weekend. Enjoy the sitting area. Prepare yourself for a most delicious breakfast. Savor West Texas hospitality.

Harvey House china

This current review of a Harvey House experience in many ways echoes similar complimentary communication from satisfied customers written through the years. Since Harvey opened his first restaurant in 1879 I would guess thousands of satisfied customers took time to express their appreciation.

Outstanding service at the El Paso Harvey House was praised in a letter to the Fred Harvey company headquarters from “A Unit of Nurses” dated April 20, 1946.

Dear Sir:

For a long time I have intended to write to you. Seeing the movie “The Harvey Girls” made me know more than ever I must write. The advertisement in Fortune Magazine showing the Syracuse china made us appreciate the dishes our food was served from. Not a chipped or cracked one on the table.

In our travels we were transferred to El Paso , Texas. It was between eleven and twelve at night when we arrived at the station. Several of us went into the Harvey House dining room; after days of traveling in hot coaches and having only two meals, we were so pleased to be in a cool room, where everyone was so pleasant.

The most courteous and sweet gray-haired lady took our order. We all noticed the efficient way she served her customers. All agreed someone should write and thank her. Through you we want to tell her that we will never forget the person that showed us how to be gracious.

[signed] A Unit of Nurses.

The nurses’ emphasis on their gracious server reminds us that the “face” of the Fred Harvey service was the Harvey Girls. The following letter was written to the Fred Harvey company by Mr. H.R. Pattengill of Michigan in 1910. The final sentence is priceless!

Nearly forty days of travel and experience along the Santa Fe, and corresponding familiarity with the Harvey eating-house system, leads us to pay this tribute to its force of dining-room girls. In all this time, in a score of different hotels, and of the hundreds of waiters, the editor did not see any unladylike or flippant action. The young ladies were, without exception, neat and becomingly attired, courteous and expert in their work, dignified yet cheery, bright eyed, clear faced and intelligent. It is also worthy of note that they received from the thousands of guests whom they served the courtesy which their bearing demanded. Some of the traveling show troupe women, with their bepowdered, enameled, ready-made complexions, peroxide puffs, wienerwurst curls, loud talk and louder behavior, might well get some wholesome lessons in womanliness from the Harvey House waitresses.

Thank you, Fred Harvey, for setting the standard high! And thank you to Harvey Houses such as the restored bed & breakfast in Slaton, Texas for continuing the tradition!

Fred Harvey Eating Room sign

Photo captions:

#1 Fred Harvey Blue Chain china serving pieces from the collection of Everet Apodaca. Photo courtesy of Mr. Apodaca.

#2 Unidentified Harvey Girls. Photo courtesy of Brenda Thowe.

#3 Original Fred Harvey restaurant sign. Photo courtesy of Skip Gentry Fred Harvey Memorabilia Collection.

A Harvey Girl Christmas Story

Fri, 22 Dec 2017 05:22:00 GMT

By Rosa Walston Latimer.

When the railroad forged its way through the West, it brought Fred Harvey restaurants and hotels with it. Certainly Mr. Harvey had a unique vision and was an astute businessman, as were his sons and grandsons who continued the business after his death in 1901. However, it was the employees, led by waitresses known as Harvey Girls, who made the Fred Harvey company a success. Through the years, over 100,000 women followed the Santa Fe Tracks westward to work as Harvey Girls.

Harvey House Christmas menu cover

How was life as a Harvey Girl beyond the ever-present smile and distinctive black and white uniform? Certainly it was an exciting adventure for some and a guarantee of a husband for many. The Harvey House staff was in many ways a protective family, still it could be difficult as most of the young women left home for the first time to work in a Harvey House. No doubt at the end of a twelve-hour shift, bone tired and alone on the second floor of a Harvey House, many of these young women cried themselves to sleep. As a result of research for a series of books on Harvey Houses and Harvey Girls I have heard many personal stories expressing loneliness and a feeling of constant fatigue; however, invariably there were happy endings.

Even though Harvey Houses were festooned with Christmas decorations and the menu was brimming with traditional holiday food this time of year was especially difficult for young women who were working far from their home and family. In many ways, their experience was no different from what we feel today when faced with similar situations.

Harvey Girl Ethel Willis

Ethel Willis Irby was born just over one hundred miles northwest of Las Vegas, New Mexico in the tiny mining town of Brilliant. After graduating from high school in 1928, she went to work as a Harvey Girl at the Castaneda in Las Vegas.

Her first Christmas in Las Vegas Ethel was very homesick as she had always been with her family during the holidays. As we might say today, she decided to apply some “retail therapy” to her situation. Ethel went shopping and bought some new shoes. Although the purchase took almost all of her weekly wages, she felt special in the slender, black pumps and decided to have the shop owner wrap up her scuffed, tan ankle boots declaring she wanted to wear the new shoes. Stepping a little lighter in her shiny pumps Ethel continued to saunter along Bridge Street enjoying the holiday decorations in the shop windows. Then it began to rain and water quickly puddled on the uneven dirt footpath. This is when Ethel discovered her pretty new shoes were not leather, but were instead made of cardboard with a glossy surface. Before she could make her way in the pouring rain the few blocks to the Rawlins building where she and other Harvey Girls lived, her new Christmas shoes had almost disintegrated.

Ethel’s cold, wet feet were a perfect match for her dampened spirits. She felt she had wasted her money on a frivolous purchase and the whistle of an approaching train reminded that if she didn’t hurry, she would be late for work. Thankful that she had recently chosen a fashionable bob Ethel used her bath towel to dry her hair as best she could, slipped into her black and white uniform, put on dry shoes and reported for work in the bustling, crowded Castaneda dining room. She was still lonely and disappointed but it was time for her shift and she had train passengers to feed!

Through the years the lives of Harvey Girls have been romanticized making it easy to forget the difficulties the young women surely faced. However, for the most part, they shared a strong desire to meet the Fred Harvey standards and faced each day with renewed determination.

Slaton Harvey House 2017 Christmas Tree

Three years later Ethel Willis transferred to Los Chavez Harvey House and Hotel in Vaughn, New Mexico. While working in the lunch room she often served meals to a Boston wool buyer, Sumner Irby who traveled regularly to the southwest for business. Ethel was twenty years old and Sumner thirty-five when they met and she considered him a kind, gentle “old” man. According to Ethel’s daughter, it took Sumner two years, but he eventually convinced the pretty Harvey Girl to marry him and provided Ethel with a happy, comfortable life with as many pairs of leather shoes as she desired!

Rosa Walston Latimer is the award-winning author of a series of books about the establishment

of Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe Railroad: Harvey Houses of Texas, Harvey Houses of New

Mexico and Harvey Houses of Kansas, which received a “Kansas Notable Book Award” in 2016.

Ozzie and the Sobbing Black

Thu, 25 May 2017 04:43:00 GMT

Engine 1809, the Sobbing Black

He is just a little guy, but his dreams are big.

Ozzie, his brother, and his parents came to stay at the Slaton Harvey House Bed & Breakfast in September 2016. It was his sixth birthday and, being the train enthusiast he is, spending the night in an old train station was a dream come true. His parents, new to the Lubbock area, were thrilled when they found our little house of history, knowing that for Ozzie, a night spent here would be the greatest gift.

His family toured our little town of Slaton, visiting the town square and spending some time taking in the majesty of 1809, the monstrous steam engine that was dedicated to Slaton in 1955 and sits on City Hall’s lawn today, its presence still commanding attention in our little square. Engine 1809 is surrounded by a chain link fence, but Ozzie would have climbed aboard if he could.

Back at the Slaton Harvey House, the train lover’s face lit up with intrigue and excitement as he perused our small railroad artifact collection, the Brakeman hats and coats, the pictures. As a train approached and the building began to rumble, Ozzie ran to the window, eyes wide and bright, eagerly anticipating it’s passing. He didn’t take his eyes off that train.

He gets it. At his young age, he gets the power and mystique of the railroad. According to his mother, Ozzie has been a train fan since he was two years old and started playing with his junior Thomas the Train wooden engines and track. “He’s graduated to elaborate wooden track sets, including real life types of engines, like the Santa Fe, and has an electric Santa Fe that runs the perimeter of his room, close to the ceiling, that his Dad made for him. At Christmas, Ozzie’s Granddaddy’s full sized Lionel Train comes out to run around the tracks at the base of the Christmas tree. No matter what the size or type of train, Ozzie loves them all!” she said.

He is connected to his past, a legacy of railroaders before him. He was quick to tell me that his granddad worked for the Frisco line, and even quicker to rattle off the cache of facts and trivia he’s acquired in his short life. He understands the power of the steel rails, the importance of its history and future, and he plans to honor it.

The family visited us again in March. They brought Ozzie’s grandparents to experience the legacy of the Slaton Harvey House. Ozzie’s mom asked if he’d shared his life goal and vision with me; when he’s a grown up, he wants to restore The Sobbing Black.

The Sobbing Black is Engine 1809, the retired steam engine on the Slaton square that captivated Ozzie in September. When asked why he named it “The Sobbing Black,” Ozzie said “The rust had bubbled up the paint to where it looked like it was crying. And from my Peanuts Cartoons, I knew that sobbing means crying hard, because some of the characters would have a bubble beside them that said ‘SOB!’”

Ozzie’s dream isn’t short-sighted, and he already has his restoration plans lined up. He says he is going to ask his Dad to replace the missing glass and weak wood, his Mom to scrape off the old paint, and his brother Leo to get the wheels in working order. Ozzie plants to paint The Sobbing Black all by himself.

His mother said he’s drawn many pictures of his beloved Sobbing Black, and even made little books titled “Me and The Sobbing Black.”

His long-term dream is to be the engineer on the fully functional 1809. He is planning to let dogs ride in a separate car, and has asked to borrow our caboose (the wooden Fort Worth & Denver caboose – currently under restoration – which sits outside the Slaton Harvey House).

Ozzie’s excitement is contagious, and we were blessed to make his acquaintance, and that of his brother and parents, who encourage and support his big dreams.

This is more than a six year old boy. Ozzie is hope for our future. He and his family are sure to bring honor to the railroad for years to come, and I doubt we’ll wait until he’s a grown up to get him on board. His parents have already asked if Ozzie and his brother Leo can come volunteer some time, and we look forward to the inspiration and magic that they’ll bring to the Slaton Harvey House, the railroad, and to Engine 1809, Ozzie’s vision, The Sobbing Black.

Ozzie at the Harvey House

Engine 1809

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 04:08:00 GMT

Built in 1906, her career lasted 49 years, including service to Slaton. Donated to Slaton in 1955, now residing in the town square park. (photos courtesy argusrail.com)

Slaton’s Engine 1809

Front view

Souvenirs, Cold Cures and Flat Fifties: Fred Harvey Newsstands

Mon, 07 Nov 2016 04:41:00 GMT

By Rosa Walston Latimer, Author of Harvey Houses of Texas

Fred Harvey Newsstands – Slaton Harvey House

Visitors to the Slaton Harvey House have an opportunity to experience firsthand one of the lesser known Fred Harvey merchandising successes – the Harvey newsstand. The Slaton newsstand remains intact along the west wall of the area that was once the Harvey lunch room.

In a sense, Fred Harvey newsstands were the twentieth-century forerunner of modern-day convenience stores. In most Harvey House locations, the newsstand was inside the Harvey Lunch Room; however, in larger train depots, it was usually a separate shop that opened into the depot waiting room as well as onto the trackside platform. The amount and variety of merchandise offered was in proportion to the number of passengers passing through the train station.

Havey Girl, Grace Koepp, Gallup NM Newsstand

The first Fred Harvey business in Texas was a newsstand that opened in the Paris train depot in 1896 and operated until 1930. There was no Harvey eating house at this location; however, just thirty miles north in Hugo, Oklahoma, there was a Harvey House Lunch Room with a newsstand.

One other Texas location, Beaumont, had a Harvey Newsstand and no eating facility. It is the only Harvey business in Texas that was associated with a hotel not owned by the Fred Harvey Company. The newsstand is listed in a 1905 promotional booklet titled Fred Harvey Meals, as being located in Beaumont’s new Crosby Hotel. The five-story brick Crosby Hotel was built soon after the Spindletop oil boom of 1901.

Fred Harvey Newsstands – Books for Sale for those long train rides

The Crosby Hotel lobby would have been crowded with men frantically competing to take advantage of the great Texas oil boom. One can only imagine the burgeoning business enjoyed by a Fred Harvey Newsstand, with its sophisticated stock of cigars, cigarettes and current newspapers brought in by train from such faraway cities as Chicago and Kansas City.

Tobacco products were the prominent merchandise in every Fred Harvey Newsstand. The Fred Harvey private brand of cigars as well as Roi-Tan, Cremo and Prodigo were sold with the promise, “We give discount on cigars bought by the box.” Large Lucky Strike Cigarette posters featuring young beauties in shorts and ballet slippers declared, “It’s toasted!” and “Lucky’s are always kind to your throat!” Colorful advertising touted such products as “flat fifties,” cigarette tins popular in the 1940s. The American Tobacco Company included this message inside the tins: “These LUCKY STRIKE CIGARETTES will commend themselves to your critical approval. The additional toasting process adds to the character and improves the taste of the fine tobacco.”

Lucky Strikes – 50 Flats. A big seller at Fred Harvey Newsstands

The Harvey newsstands also offered major newspapers of the time as well as a variety of magazines and books. Chewing gum and candy were big sellers, and the newsstands were always framed with wire displays of postcards. The postcard business flourished after 1904 when Ford Harvey began working with the Detroit Publishing Company, which had developed a process for colorizing black-and-white photos. A good number of the collectable postcards from the early Harvey days have survived and are often offered online.

Souvenirs were attractively displayed to appeal to train passengers. Key chains and letter openers as well as figurines and toy trucks all clamored for the travelers’ attention. Displayed on glass shelves, small items were advertised as souvenirs for bridge prizes. The variety of merchandise was endless: cloisonné compacts, sewing notions, watches and brightly colored felt triangular pennants emblazoned with the state’s name. Small cactus plants were sold in the El Paso Union Station Harvey newsstand.

Fred Harvey Newsstands, with papers shipped from as far away as Chicago and Kansas City

Solutions for the wide-ranging needs of a traveler were for sale at larger Harvey newsstands. These were listed alphabetically on multi-sided signs. Some of those items relieved a traveler’s ills: Bromo Quinine cold tablets, Bromo Seltzer for the tummy, liniments, Listerine, Mentholatum and Lavoris. Men’s garters and collar buttons were available, as well as cold cream, face powder, nail files and perfume for the ladies. Perhaps the most useful remedy available at the newsstands was tins of Cascaret. The advertising for these brown octagonal tablets—reputed to have a taste almost as pleasant as chocolate—promised to eliminate “Heartburn, Colic, Coated Tongue, Suspected Breath, Acid-rising-in-throat, Gas-belching, or an incipient Cold.”

Cacarets – multi purpose ailment cure, sold at Fred Harvey Newsstands

Fred Harvey newsstands were a very successful business, and throughout the Harvey system, many survived long after lunchrooms and dining rooms had closed. Next time you walk into the Slaton Harvey House take a moment to observe another of Fred Harvey’s brilliant business initiatives. Mr. Harvey didn’t only “feed the trains” – he also provided for the personal needs and wants of the train passengers.

The Waitress and The Whaler: A Love Story

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 06:01:00 GMT

We are grateful for Rosa Latimer’s support of the Slaton Harvey House by serving on it’s board and providing wonderful ideas, offering illuminating stories for your reading pleasure.

(Such as below) and, coming soon, having her delightful play “The Harvey Girls” acted out in our own Harvey House. Here’s Rosa:

The year: 1913. The place: a Harvey House in the tiny New Mexico town of Rincon. The event was the wedding of a young nurse from Philadelphia to a handsome Frenchman from the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Given the limited travel opportunities of the time and inadequate long-distance communication (a century before Face Book!) how did this improbable union take place? Two words: Fred Harvey.

Although generally Harvey rules banned Harvey Girls from dating Santa Fe men, even the mighty Fred Harvey couldn’t stop love! Joe Fondy worked as a cook at the Slaton Harvey House cook until he was old enough to work for the Santa Fe Railroad. On his runs to Sweetwater he met Harvey Girl Ethel Reeves. The family history tells us that when Ethel first saw Joe enter the Harvey House she declared that he was the best looking man she had ever seen and she intended to marry him. The wedding soon followed.

Gertrude was an orphan who had finished nursing school in Philadelphia and after working a while, decided she wanted to go to Alaska. In early 1912 this would not be an easy accomplishment for a young single woman. Gertrude learned that Fred Harvey was hiring “educated women of good character” to work in his restaurants that stretched from Kansas across the Southwest to California. She recognized an opportunity to work her way toward Alaska, interviewed to be a Harvey Girl and promptly boarded a train to Rincon, New Mexico. I can only imagine the culture shock of leaving a city the size of Philadelphia and landing in this small railroad town in southern New Mexico. However, it wasn’t long before excitement entered Gertrude’s life when a tall, dark and very handsome young Frenchman came to town.

At the age of twelve William left his family on the island of Mauritius to work on whaling ships. Seventeen years later, he and a friend quit their whaling jobs in Vera Cruz, Mexico, and decided to walk to California. On the way, in Rincon, New Mexico, William took a job with the Santa Fe Railroad to earn money to finish his trip.
The lunch counter in this small Harvey House seated twenty-six, and there was no dining room. Most likely no more than six Harvey Girls worked in Rincon at any one time. The new railroad man who spoke with a heavy French accent must have caused quite a stir. Petite Gertrude caught his attention, and three months later, William and Gertrude married. They spent the rest of their lives in New Mexico, and William worked for the Santa Fe until his retirement.

Maxine Cockrell started working at the Canadian, Texas Harvey House at age 15 when she was hired as a “salad girl” in the kitchen. Once she turned 18 years old she began her Harvey Girl duties at the lunch counter. There she met a local cowboy, Harold Wilson and after courting a few months the couple married and sold Harold’s horse to provide funds for a move to California. However, they soon returned to Texas so their first child would be born in their native state.

You can also enjoy the light-hearted, nostalgic story of Gertrude and other Harvey Girls in upcoming live performances of the play “Harvey Girls” performed in a dinner theater setting at the Slaton Harvey House. Performances are Friday, September 30 & Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 6:000 p.m. Tickets are $30/person (dinner and play) and reservations are required as seating is limited. For more information or to make your reservations, email slatonharveyhouse@gmail.com or call 806-828-5900.

Please join me for a truly enjoyable evening that will also serve as a fundraiser for the Harvey House along with the Slaton ISD and Post ISD theater departments.

Waiting for the Train – A Slaton Harvey Girl Love Story

Wed, 29 Jun 2016 05:28:00 GMT

By Rosa Walston Latimer

Rose Heilers sat on the window sill of her second floor bedroom of the Harvey House in Slaton, Texas. She leaned against the glass so she could see further down the railroad track below. Since meeting Bill Farschon, a railroad man, a few months ago this is how she has spent many of her late evening hours – waiting for Bill. She smiled at the thrill of watching the train approach the depot, first just a small, dark dot on the horizon. As the dot grew larger she could hear the “clackity-clack” of the wheels on the steel track. The passenger train whistled as it crossed the final intersection before it slowed and rumbled into the train yard below. Rose could actually see Bill’s face when the train passed the smokestack beside the tracks. He was usually smiling. She liked to believe that he knew she was waiting for him and the smile was meant just for her. With the screech of brakes and a great puff of steam, Bill was home.

This description of a Harvey Girl overlooking the rail yard waiting for the man she loved is my fictionalized version of the story of a real Harvey Girl. Following is an excerpt from my book, Harvey Houses of Texas (The History Press, 2014) that tells the true story of Rose Hielers who lived on the second floor of the Slaton Harvey House and “fed the trains” in the restaurant below.

As with most Harvey Girls, Rose discovered working for Fred Harvey was a pleasant experience and was much more rewarding than her job as a sales clerk in the general merchandise store in Nebraska. Her hours there had been long, and the pay was meager. At the Harvey House, all of the employees were congenial, and the family atmosphere made being so far from home much easier. There were about twenty employees at this restaurant and newsstand, including the manager and his wife. The Harvey Girls lived on the second floor, and the manager’s wife acted as their house mother. Male employees lived in a separate building.

A job at the Harvey House was a special blessing, as jobs of any kind for women were hard to find in the mid-1930s. The young women were paid one dollar a day plus tips and received free room and board. They also enjoyed laundry service and received a pass to ride the Santa Fe anywhere in the United States. All of these benefits plus her salary were equal to twice as much as Rose’s previous income. “To be a Harvey Girl, you had to have good morals and be reasonably attractive,” Rose said. “You had to be modest and well mannered.” She also explained that a little bit of lip color was the only makeup allowed, and jewelry was not allowed. Rose met Bill Farschon on a blind date. They were married over sixty years before Bill passed away in 2002. Rose died 6 years later. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, the Altar Society and a charter member of Catholic Daughters. After restoration of the Harvey House in Slaton, Rose donated many personal items from her Harvey Girl days and enjoyed wearing a replica of her original black and white Harvey Girl uniform for special events.

Respected and loved by all who knew her, Rose Heilers Farschon is a fine example of the positive influence Harvey Girls had in the communities where they worked and lived. These women truly civilized the West!

LITTLE RED CABOOSE, CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!

Wed, 11 May 2016 04:24:00 GMT

By Jessica Kelly

Slaton Harvey House Caboose, Pre Restoration

My generation saw few very little red cabooses, but when we did, it was a majestic and memorable sight to behold. There was just something magical about those rail cars and the mysteries they held.

As manager of the Slaton Harvey House Bed & Breakfast and Event Center, I have had many conversations with people about their memories of trains and train travel. With an enchanted sense of nostalgia, they reminisce… and their memories are almost always fond ones: eagerly anticipating the powerful engine pulling the train into the station; the conductor yelling “all aboard!”; stepping up onto the metal stool that put them into a “time travel machine” that whisked them from Slaton to Amarillo and back home again.

Other memories create the picture of a young boy running alongside the “iron horse” as it pulled away from the station, chasing his railroad worker father as Daddy went off to work… a tearful mother waving goodbye as her child left for war… a happy couple hugging after they step off the train to return home from their honeymoon…

As I imagine each memory shared, I always envision the same scene. There is a platform bustling with families in suit coats and long dresses. There are children carrying small, hard luggage cases as they excitedly await the train. There is a powerful steam engine — like the majestic “1809 Cotton Special” that graces the Slaton Square lawn — steam bursting and whistle blowing. And there — seemingly pushing the train along the track as it pulls out of the station — is the little red caboose.

Slaton Harvey House Caboose, east side

The caboose is romantic. It is nostalgic. It is surely one of the most iconic pieces of our nation’s history. It holds memories of the brakemen who looked out the cupola window, perched like birds, watching the train ahead for any sign of trouble. It represents an era of change, of travel, of civilization, and, for many, the heartache of watching the train lug their loved ones away.

In some ways, it represents a beginning. In other ways, it symbolizes the end.
I feel fortunate to look out the window each day to the wooden caboose that adorns the Harvey House lawn. It is truly a magnificent piece of history, and I look forward to its approaching restoration, so that all can see the beauty of an artifact that played such an important role in the establishment of our country.
Little Red Caboose, chug, chug, chug!
Little Red Caboose, chug, chug, chug!
Little Red Caboose behind the train, train, train, train.
Going down the track, track, track, track.
Bringing up the back, back, back, back,
Little Red Caboose behind the train!

CELEBRATE SLATON’S HERITAGE: HELP SAVE THE ‘LITTLE RED CABOOSE’
To donate to the restoration of the historic and rare red caboose, please call or email the Slaton Harvey House: 806-828-5900, slatonharveyhouse@gmail.com.

The Slaton Harvey House, a landmark Santa Fe Railroad facility built in 1912, was part of a chain of eating rooms created by Fred Harvey in 1876. The kitchen staff and hostesses — known as Harvey Girls — provided fine dining to passengers and townspeople alike for more than 30 years.

The two-story Mission Revival structure features concrete walls a foot thick and a parapet decorated with Santa Fe Railway symbols.

Today, the Slaton Harvey House has been restored to its former status as host to travelers, providing bed and breakfast service and an archive of Slaton’s railroad heritage artifacts. The beautiful building also serves as an intimate event center for meetings, conferences, and receptions.

And then there were six…

Sat, 07 May 2016 04:48:00 GMT

By Rosa Walston Latimer

In almost every discussion about Harvey Houses, the question is asked: “Wonder how many are still standing?” When Fred Harvey died in 1901 (at the age of sixty-five) he owned and operated fifteen hotels, forty-seven restaurants, thirty dining cars and a San Francisco Bay ferry. I haven’t found a definitive list of all Harvey establishments during the span from 1867 when the first Harvey House opened (Topeka, KS) until the mid-1960s when the last Harvey Houses closed. However, determining the number of Harvey Houses that still exists isn’t all that difficult. Let’s begin with Texas!

Harvey House in El Paso Union Station

In the Lone Star State there were originally sixteen Harvey House restaurants and hotels. Only six of these buildings remain in Slaton, Gainesville, Amarillo, Brownwood, El Paso and Houston.

SLATON
The Mission Revival-style Slaton Harvey House opened in 1912 at a reported cost of $75,000. In 1989 residents of Slaton saved the Harvey House building from the Santa Fe wrecking ball and the next year the Slaton Railroad Heritage Association was organized to purchase the building and oversee restoration. In 2006 the Slaton Harvey House opened as a bed-and-breakfast and the space where Harvey Girls once served customers at the lunch counter is now available – without the counter – to rent for meetings, receptions and other special events.
Originally the Slaton Harvey restaurant seated 42 people around a large oval counter with a marble top. The newsstand and gift shop opened into the eating area and the kitchen and bakery were tucked behind wooden swinging doors. Now you can easily recapture the spirit of those early times when you visit the space – especially when the trains pass by!

Coat and Hat Rack in one of the Slaton Harvey House guest rooms

The Amarillo Harvey House (1910 – 1940) dining room and lunch room occupied the north end of the Santa Fe Depot and a newsstand was part of the public waiting room space. The large brick, Mission Revival-style building is similar in style to the Gainesville depot and Harvey House and has been beautifully preserved. Recently the City of Amarillo purchased the building with plans to establish a railroad museum.

Amarillo Harvey House

Brownwood Harvey House

In addition to the trackside Harvey establishments, Texas Harvey House lunch counters and dining rooms served train passengers in Union Stations in Galveston, Dallas, El Paso, Houston and Fort Worth. You can still visit the spaces occupied by the Harvey House dining room, bar, lunch room, curio shop, and barber shop in the El Paso Union Station that also houses an Amtrak station. The Houston Union Station has been restored and is now the main entrance to Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.

When you hit the road for your summer travels, why not tour the Texas Harvey Houses and enjoy an overnight stay in the Slaton Harvey House!

Harvey Girls on the Silver Screen

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 04:39:00 GMT

By Rosa Walston Latimer

Movie Poster for The Harvey Girls. Image courtesy of Skip Gentry’s Fred Harvey Memorabilia Collection.

When Fred Harvey pushed his chain of restaurants farther and farther west along the lengthening tracks of the Santa Fe, he brought with him one of the first civilizing forces this land had known: the Harvey Girls. These winsome waitresses conquered the West as surely as David Crockett and the Kit Carsons—not with powder horn and rifle but with a beefsteak and a cup of coffee.

—Introduction to the 1946 MGM movie The Harvey Girls

Ahead of its time, the Fred Harvey company was establishing its brand over a century before “branding” became a buzzword. The Fred Harvey logo, composed simply of Mr. Harvey’s signature, was attached to high-quality products such as coffee, whiskey and cigars. Fred Harvey fruit preserves were served at breakfast. For a time, Coca-Cola bottles produced in Newton, Kansas, had the imprint “Fred Harvey Newton” on the bottom.

One extremely clever marketing tactic that went far beyond custom labels was an agreement between Fred Harvey and Metro Goldwyn Mayer to make a movie about Harvey Girls. Unfortunately, the Slaton Harvey House closed in 1942, four years before the release of The Harvey Girls featuring celebrities of the time: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger and Angela Lansbury. The familiar song “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” sung by Garland, won an Academy Award for songwriter Johnnie Mercer.

Described by one critic as a glorified commercial for the Fred Harvey restaurants, the 1946 MGM movie may have done the most for perpetuating the story of the Harvey waitresses. Even today, for many this movie is the only version of the Fred Harvey story they know. It can still been seen often on the Turner Classic Movie channel – the next scheduled showing of The Harvey Girls on TCM is April 22, 2016 at 8 p.m.

Judy Garland in The Harvey Girls. Image courtesy of Rosa Walston Latimer.

I’ve seen the movie many times and even though real Harvey Girls certainly didn’t dance and sing as Judy Garland and her supporting cast did on the “silver screen,” the story portrayed in the movie was authentic in many ways. One former Harvey Girl told me, “The town girls didn’t like us very well because it was considered quite nice to be able to date a Harvey Girl. I’m sure they didn’t like the competition!” In the movie, the Harvey Girls were not treated well by the local dance hall girls; however, (spoiler alert) they all became friends in the end.

An overarching theme in the popular movie true to “Harvey Girl life” was the manner in which the girls treated each other as family. When Harvey Girls and other Harvey employees reminisce about their years with Fred Harvey, invariably, they describe the experience as being part of a large family. The girls helped each other through bouts of being homesick or a romance turned sour as well as with practical matters such as sharing clean uniforms or money.

During research at the Cline Library, University of Northern Arizona for Harvey Houses of Texas (The History Press, 2014), I found correspondence between Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures and Fred Harvey executives indicating the Fred Harvey company, specifically Fred’s son, Byron, attempted to exert great influence on the advertising of the movie as well as the movie itself. An October 1945 telegram from Byron Harvey Sr. to the MGM publicity department complained that the magazine and billboard advertising gave “the erroneous impression that this picture is largely a burlesque show or that the Harvey Girls were dance hall girls. In my opinion this type of advertising not only misrepresents the general character of the picture but is highly damaging to our company and its employees and is directly contrary to the spirit of our understanding.” Byron also expressed concern that on a movie poster the words “Harvey Girls” appeared next to Angelia Lansbury’s bare legs.

Chief publicist and director of advertising for MGM, Howard Dietz, responded from his New York office: “I have gone over the ads and while we do use the dancing girl motif quite frequently it does not seem to be used offensively and is consistent with the idea of a musical picture.” Dietz promised that “wherever possible in material not yet prepared we shall do our best to tone down what you consider objectionable and also attempt to make it clear that the Harvey Girls were not burlesque queens.” In a move to appease the Harvey family, Byron Harvey Jr., grandson of Fred Harvey, was given a cameo as a Santa Fe railroad brakeman.

Fred Harvey’s grandson and son, Byron Harvey, Jr. (left) and Byron, Sr. (right) with Judy Garland on the set of The Harvey Girls. Image courtesy of Rosa Walston Latimer.

In spite of the internal turmoil during production and promotion of the movie, The Harvey Girls was declared one of the top movies of 1946 based on its gross earnings of $1.2 million. ($12.5 million today) The national attention the movie would bring to Harvey Houses would certainly be a boon for business; however, the upswing in customers was short-lived and Harvey Houses continued to close along the Santa Fe tracks.

The popular movie didn’t save the Harvey Houses, but it continues to keep the Harvey Girl story alive. On Friday, April 22 tune in to the Turner Classic Movie channel, grab some popcorn, settle into a comfy chair and let’s enjoy Hollywood’s version of the Harvey Girl experience!

Steam Powered Ice Cream

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 04:52:00 GMT

Calvin Lamb, being interviewed by the Lubbock AJ recently. Photo by Josie Musico.

By Rosa Walston Latimer

One Harvey House memory that former Harvey employees and customers always seemed to share with gusto was the delicious homemade ice cream that was available every day in any Harvey House. The frozen creamy delight was made fresh daily and an individual bowl of the flavor of the day would usually only set you back fifteen or twenty cents. Often a bowl of ice cream was one of several dessert choices at the end of your seventy-five-cent dinner that also included soup, choice of entrée, two vegetables, salad, bread, and a drink.

Many Harvey Houses used the “hand-crank” method of making ice cream, but that was not the case at the Slaton Harvey House. Slatonite Calvin Lamb, who was hired in 1941 as a busboy at the local Harvey House, provided this first-hand description of the inner “workings” of the popular restaurant for the book, Harvey Houses of Texas: Historic Hospitality from the Gulf Coast to the Panhandle (The History Press, 2014).

“I was in high school and worked during the summer, on weekends and occasionally at night. Busboy responsibilities were different, depending on the time of day. I washed dishes, cleaned the floor and did whatever they asked me to do. The restaurant was open twenty-four hours a day. I remember one time when the night cook wanted to go on vacation, and they had me fill in. I mostly fed the train crews, and they weren’t very particular. That was probably a good thing.”

Calvin explained that a truck from the nearby round house would deliver coal down a coal shoot into the Harvey House basement. “I had to bring the coal up to the kitchen to fuel the stove. Most people don’t know we cooked with coal.” And most people don’t know that a small steam-powered engine was used to crank the ice cream made fresh daily. This was another of Lamb’s duties. The steam was piped from the round house and also heated the Harvey House.

“Another job I had was to meet the 7:00 morning train,” Lamb said. “I had to wear a white coat and stand out on the platform beside the tracks beating on a gong and yelling, ‘Breakfast is being served inside.”

After high school, Calvin worked for the Santa Fe on the line gang and then joined the Navy. He returned to work for the Santa Fe again in the train department, where he remained for forty-one years. He retired in 1987 as a conductor.

Calvin is currently a resident at the Library of Legacies assisted living facility in Idalou.

Each Fred Harvey eating house made its own ice cream until the mid-1920s when ice cream plants began operations at the Harvey dairies in Temple, TX, Newton, KS, and Las Vegas, NM. Even though the Fred Harvey company made efficient use of the railroad to deliver fresh food to Harvey Houses, most patrons no longer enjoyed the delicious texture and taste that only fresh, homemade ice cream could provide. Because of the history Calvin Lamb has shared, we know that locally-made, fresh ice cream continued to be a popular item on the menu at the Slaton Harvey House until the restaurant closed in 1942.

Fannie Belle Green Teague: From Indian Territory to Slaton, Texas

Sun, 31 Jan 2016 04:37:00 GMT

January 30, 2016 By Rosa Walston Latimer

From the beginning of my research about the Harvey Girls who so capably staffed the many Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe Railroad, I was impressed by the contribution these women made to the communities where they worked and lived. Slaton Harvey Girls were no exception.

Most Harvey Girls met their future husbands while working in a Harvey House although dating was strictly chaperoned. To further complicate matrimonial aspirations, in the early years at least, the young women were required to sign a contract with Fred Harvey stating they would not marry until they had worked at least six months and married women could not work as Harvey Girls. By far the majority of the “educated women of good character” who came west to work for Mr. Harvey soon married and continued to live many years in the towns where they had once proudly worn the black and white uniform of the Harvey Girls.

I hope you enjoy this excerpt from my book, Harvey Houses of Texas (The History Press, 2014). The story clearly illustrates the long-term influence Harvey Girls had on the communities where they worked and lived. My primary source for Fannie Belle Green Teague’s story was the transcript of an interview with her that is held in the archives of the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

Fannie Belle Green came to Slaton with the railroad. She had been a Harvey Girl at the Vaughn, New Mexico Harvey House before transferring to Slaton in 1912 to help establish the new location. Living in the dormitory-style residence of Harvey Houses must have seemed particularly luxurious to Fannie . Born in Bowie County, Texas, her family moved to Indian Territory in 1899, where home was a half-dugout on the flat prairie. By the early 1900s, her father relocated his extended family to remote Encino, New Mexico, where he worked as a carpenter. A female railroad agent at Vaughn, fifteen miles away, persuaded Fannie, her sister and a cousin to become Harvey Girls .

Although a remote railroad location, Vaughn had its share of excitement, including a visit by Charles Lindbergh, who made an emergency landing in the desolate New Mexico desert and spent time at the Harvey House. However, Fannie was pleased with her transfer to the new Slaton Harvey House, where she found it more exciting with more railroaders and fewer rowdy cowboys.

Serving customers in a Harvey House was a natural fit for Fannie . At age seven, when her mother became ill, Fannie cooked and served her first meal to men who were helping with the harvest. Although a chef and kitchen staff handled food preparation in the Harvey House, in Slaton, Fannie and the other four waitresses on the day shift were responsible for keeping Harvey coffee freshly made. The Harvey Girls had to memorize orders and pass them on to the cooks who committed them to memory and rang a bell when the food was ready. A notepad kept in an apron pocket was used only to total the cost of each meal for the cashier.

The day shift began at 7:00 every morning and, after serving passengers from three trains plus railroad employees and local diners, ended at 6:00 p.m. A normal workday allowed for a two-hour break in the afternoon and unless there was a shortage of Harvey Girls , everyone was allowed one day off each week.

Fannie’s social life may have been tame by some Harvey Girl standards. She usually went to the Santa Fe Reading Room next door to the Harvey House where an assortment of reading material was provided for train passengers and railroad employees. As Fannie strolled across the brick promenade to the Reading Room she began to take notice of Joe Teague Jr., the night ticket agent, as he walked to work each evening. Soon Joe began to come to work early so there was some time to talk to Fannie, and their time off from work was coordinated as often as possible.

Fannie’s Harvey Girl career ended in 1915 when she and Joe married. The couple continued to live in Slaton, and the Teague family established the Teague Confectionary. The business, later named Teague Drug, remained a center of commerce and community socialization on the downtown square in Slaton until 1987.

Young Fannie Greene had no idea what lay ahead when she left the established Las Chaves Harvey House and Hotel in Vaughn, New Mexico to move to the upstart railroad town of Slaton, Texas to open the Harvey House there. Perhaps she received a raise in wages and perhaps she was merely looking for her next adventure.

Erskine E. Culver, longtime Slaton brakeman and conductor

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 05:16:00 GMT

Hello friends,

First, I’d like to encourage you to visit our Historic Slaton and Harvey House Gallery because there are quite a few new additions there. Ultimately I’d like it to be the most extensive, usable and expanding gallery of historic Slaton images, including identifying captions. Without captions, it is just a bunch of old pictures, but that part takes a while.

One benefit of doing this is that occasionally I’ll spot a family member in pictures I’d never seen. Today while examining the picture below of “1940s Dinner Upstairs” I spotted my grandfather, Erskine Culver (seated closest to the photographer) and a moment later my grandmother Birdie (walking behind those seated). I also found this head shot, which is great because our family doesn’t have many good pictures of him.

Erskine served on the Slaton Santa Fe as a brakeman and conductor for about thirty years, as best I can tell. His union dues receipt (below) is from 1931, but he likely started earlier than that. He worked until his early death by heart attack at 57.

I never heard many stories about Papaw, mainly that he was a nice guy with a quick laugh. His nickname was Straw because of his red hair. Born in Alabama in 1899, he was raised in Mount Pleasant. More than likely it was the Santa Fe that brought him to Slaton, like it did so many.

He was active in the Texas Masons (membership card below), Eastern Star, church and–apparently–something called the Dinner Upstairs. It occurred at 140 S. 9th, now a shuttered building across the street from OD Kenney. I don’t know if it was a regular thing or once only, but isn’t it interesting to see how formal a small-town gathering was then compared to now?

Erskine Culver, lifetime Slaton Railroader, died before I was born so unfortunately we never met. His two sons, Harold and Tip, both followed his footsteps with Santa Fe careers in Slaton. I’m glad to be able to add him to our historic gallery today.

If you have a pioneer friend or ancestor you would like to see included here, whether or not they were associated with the Santa Fe, please send me an email at gculver@ebrainsinc.com.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Glenn Culver

Erskine Culver Masons of Texas and Brotherhood of Railroad Trainment union cards

Erskine E. Culver, brakeman and conductor, Slaton Santa Fe Railroad

1940s Dinner Upstairs, 140 N. 9th St.

Slaton VFD

Tue, 10 Nov 2015 06:25:00 GMT

Where ever there’s a little town over 100 years old, there will have been volunteer fire fighters keeping it intact. Here are the few historic photos we have related to our generations of selfless first responders.

Slaton Volunteer Firemen, ca. 1940’s & 50’s

Downtown fire, 1937

A fire fight in Slaton, 1937

1937 fire, number three

1930s Fire Boys; Jack Cooper, Bart Jones, Jess Burton, CC Kenney, Elbert Wilson, Tom Thompson, Kirk Dowell, Wallace Cooper, Ottis Browning, LB Hagertson, Carl Partain

Joe Bickerstaff and Engine 1010

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 05:40:00 GMT

In 1994 Troy Bickerstaff mailed a letter to the Slaton Railroad Association (Harvey House) president, Tony Privett. It described in as much detail as he could the Santa Fe service of his Grandfather, Joe V. Bickerstaff. Tony remains a board member and has kept the letter all these years. With belated thanks to Troy, his granddad will now be added to our Historic Slaton and Harvey House photo gallery, and briefly honored here.

Joe began his Santa Fe career in 1915, spending most of it in Slaton as a steam locomotive engineer until he retired in 1950. Most of his runs were to Sweetwater, Seagraves, Lamesa and San Angelo. His Son, Troy H. was also a Santa Fe employee for over 30 years, also a locomotive engineer.

Joe shared service for a while with a mechanical celebrity–Engine 1010. It was a Prairie type steam engine and is now on permanent display at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Her fame came from use in two movies, but mainly for setting the Los Angeles to Chicago speed record in 1905. The trip of 2,265 miles took 45 hours and averaged a speed of 50 miles an hour, establishing the Santa Fe’s fame as a high-speed railroad. Her final freight runs were out of Slaton in 1953.

Thank you Joe, Troy H. and #1010 for contributing to the fabric of our town.

Engine 1010, worked out of Slaton in early 1950s

Joe Bickerstaff at the throttle of a steam engine

Joe V. Bickerstaff, oiling the drivers of his locomotive

Harvey Halloween, 2015!

Tue, 03 Nov 2015 06:32:00 GMT

Hello friends, happy autumn! One critical means to the ‘end’ of preserving the Harvey House is to make sure our local community has opportunities to spend time in it, and hopefully have a memorable experience. Last week we held our first (annual, we hope) Harvey Halloween, where we invited area kids to come and have an old-fashioned Halloween, including crafts and games.

The highlight of the evening for many was a ride upon the Blue Weed Special street train, donated for the event by Leighton and Joan Knox of Tahoka. The train passengers rode from the Harvey House down to the Slaton Square, around the Square, and back. We hope to have many more community events, and check out our Facebook page for details on the next one, our third annual Murder Mystery Dinner!

New additions and format to Historic Slaton and Harvey House Gallery

Sat, 12 Sep 2015 05:32:00 GMT

Friday, September 11. We just added another batch of historic Slaton photos, as we continue to work through and label them as best we are able. More notable, check out the new slide show format !

With continued thanks to Gary Moyers for his volunteer support.

1923 Slaton City Square

It Pays to Advertise

Mon, 07 Sep 2015 05:20:00 GMT

There are many ways for today’s small businesses to advertise, but in Slaton’s earlier days they had to be creative and resourceful. Here a few examples of those efforts, now posted in our Historic Slaton and Harvey House Photos gallery along with several other new additions.

Slaton, TX promotional poster, 1910

Davis Gin, Slaton TX promotional wallet

Slaton Lumber Company promotional wooden nickel, reverse side

1965 Slaton Lumber Company wooden nickel, front side

Piggly Wiggly, 1956-81

Barney Wilson, Slaton delivery truck for Mrs Baird’s Bread, 1955

Slaton billboard near the Harvey House, 1941-46, inviting passing soldiers to come back after the war

Johns Jersey Dairy delivery truck, 1940s Slaton

Davis & Legg Gin, 1930’s promotional themometer, Slaton

Slaton Power & Light ad, 1922. For a free in-home demonstration of the Electric Washer

1921 promotional calendar, Paul Owens Jeweler, Slaton

1912 G.L. Sledge Transfer, Sledge family

1946 McIlhaney’s Milk Delivery, Gladys Meurer

The Native American Connection

Sun, 23 Aug 2015 04:31:00 GMT

The B&B rooms at the Slaton Harvey House are adorned with Native American art. The building is in Southwestern adobe style and the Santa Fe Railway has also long been steeped in Native American culture. You may wonder, why?

Here is a terrific article on how this came to be. Not to give it all away, but it boils down to a marketing decision to distinguish themselves and take advantage of the newly-tamed wild west. It also brought a new industry to New Mexico. Tourism.

Read on, friends!

Slaton Harvey House Native American art

Sam Wilson artwork on the Slaton Santa Fe Railroad

Slaton Harvey House Native American decoration

Slaton Harvey House Native American artwork and artifacts adorn our B&B rooms.

Earliest Slaton photos

Sat, 22 Aug 2015 04:57:00 GMT

Slaton, Texas was established June 15, 1911. Before that could happen, the railroad tracks had to be laid and the local depot be built. Here are a few, rare photos of Slaton’s earliest days.

1910 ATS&F rail laying machine near what will soon be Slaton, TX

1910, Slaton Santa Fe depot roundhouse building in construction

1909, laying of the railroad tracks near Slaton. Slaton incorporated in 1911.

Circa 1915 Slaton Santa Fe depot and yard

Circa 1922 Slaton Santa Fe yards. By then we can see an established community in the background.

1912 Slaton Santa Fe Roundhouse, prior to the rails leading to its doors.

Circa 1911, construction of the Slaton Santa Fe turntable to the shop

Circa 1910, Slaton Santa Fe roundhouse

Circa 1910, Santa Fe rail laying nearing Southland, shown in a then-50 year old newspaper photo.

H.C. Sammons, Slaton Railroader

Tue, 18 Aug 2015 04:30:00 GMT

Here is H.C. on his last trip before retiring. We would love more info from his friends or family to add to his photo in our Historic Slaton and Harvey House photo gallery.

To everyone, please send us any of your photos of past or present Santa Fe railroaders! Post to our Facebook page by linking here https://www.facebook.com/SlatonHarveyHouse, or send to gculver@ebrainsinc.com. Help us to honor our Slaton railroad heritage and legacy.

From his last trip before retirement from the Santa Fe. Before joining the railroad, he was also a barber at and owner of the Imperial Barber Shop in Slaton.

New Old Slaton Photographic History

Mon, 17 Aug 2015 05:14:00 GMT

Hello, friends of the Slaton Harvey House. As our historic building continues to grow and thrive as a bed and breakfast and event facility, we also want our website to expand and grow as a source of history information about Slaton, the Harvey House, the Santa Fe Railway and more.

We have recently received a treasure trove of old photos and will be adding them to our Historic Slaton and Harvey House photo gallery. Many of these forthcoming are credited to Alton Kenney, who had the foresight to catalog moments from Slaton’s early years. His family store, O.D. Kenney Auto Parts remains in the family and continues to serve the needs of locals.

For starters, here are a few from around the rail yard. Many more neat memories to come. As always, please share your old pics with us at slatonharveyhouse@gmail.com or on our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/SlatonHarveyHouse

One of the many troop trains that stopped in Slaton during WWII

1930s Slaton rail yard turntable

The first Slaton Depot, circa 1920’s

Slaton was founded in 1911, after the train station was established. Here is the roundhouse under development in 1910.

Scene from the Slaton Depot, 1955 with names written on. Know anyone here?

Slaton Tragedy and Murder, 1932

Sat, 08 Aug 2015 05:28:00 GMT

Hi friends. Just to let you know a little about our blog posts, our process is very scientific. Not. When we don’t have timely news about the Harvey House, events, etc., we’ll do some Googling about Slaton’s history, Harvey Houses and the like and share something we think you’ll find interesting. Now that you know the process, we encourage you to contribute when you have the hankering.

Today we share another chapter from James Villenueva’s writings as posted in Texas Escapes, about a tragedy and subsequent revenge murder that only made everything worse. A compelling read and part of Slaton’s storied history.

http://www.texasescapes.com/JamesVillanueva/RL-Tudor-Takes-the-Stand-Slaton-Texas-1932.htm

Have your reunion at the Harvey House like this family just did

Mon, 03 Aug 2015 04:25:00 GMT

What a wonderful weekend! We had four generations of female family members here Friday through Sunday. They laughed and laughed, ate and reminisced.

Our space provided the perfect setting for their reunion, from the common area upstairs in the bed & breakfast where they cut up until wee morning hours, to the event center where they spent hours visiting, eating, playing games, and working on a big puzzle together.

If you’re looking for a beautiful and unique setting for your next reunion, the Slaton Harvey House is a place where pasts are remembered and memories are made!

1920, Electricity Comes to Slaton

Sun, 02 Aug 2015 05:39:00 GMT

Electricity Comes to Slaton

August 18, 2010

With credit to James Villanueva’s Slatontx.wordpress.com blog, here is a slice of life during that time.

On July 4, 1920, what began as a small flicker in a house on Railroad Avenue ignited a new generation . It ushered in a novel decade that would bring cultural shifts, changing mores, and modern challenges, propelling citizens into the “decade of decadence.”

With one 25 horsepower Fair-Banks-Morse engine, shipped via Santa Fe Railroad, Slaton leapt out of the darkness when the Slaton Power Plant opened.

The, “roaring twenties,” came to Slaton.

The Elliot family watched as an electric lamp illuminated their home. That same day, in approximately one-hundred other houses across town, oil lamps burned out; electric bulbs took their place. Of course, electric service was only offered from dusk until midnight.

Slaton was never the same.

In the years of prohibition and flapper dresses, the worlds first ocean liners took to the seas and aeroplanes took to the skies. It was also the year Henry Dixon Loes wrote the children’s gospel hymn, “This Little Light of Mine.” Which later became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement.

Prior to electricity in homes, select businesses, such as movie theaters, had electricity that was produced by low voltage generators. Electricity in households was a new development even in large cities and many families had apprehension of such a strong surge of power entering their homes. It had only been 24 years since George Westinghouse introduced the public to the Westinghouse Electric Company in 1895 in Buffalo, New York.

In 1921, fifty more Slaton families introduced electricity into their homes. This same year, the Hodge family decided that Slaton would become their new dwelling after leaving their hometown, in Montgomery County, Texas.

“Not many black families were here, only about a dozen black children,” Dora F. Johnson Hodge wrote in the book Slaton Stories . “At the time, though, farm work was like a gold rush in Slaton.”

Also taking advantage of this, “gold rush,” and prosperity was Jesse Herman and Verna Dale Brewer who moved to Slaton in 1915 from Duncan, Oklahoma. Jesse, who went by J.H., became the first president of the First State Bank.

Like the rest of the country, the 1920’s proved to be a prosperous time for the Brewer family who built their home on 410 W. Garza. The home became the site of various social gatherings and parties that would bring in the social elite of Slaton.

The Brewers became one of the most influential first families in the twenties. Verna was president of the PTA and highly involved in the Civic and Culture Club. J.H. was the Director of the Chamber of Commerce, president of the Rotary Club, and was named the Democratic party precinct chairman.

On many nights, various people would gather at the Brewer home for their very popular, but exclusive, Bridge Club.

James Arthur Elliot, the man who brought electricity into the Brewer household, was acquainted with the Brewers. Elliot’s wife, Sarah Callhan Elliot, was also a member of the Civic and Culture Club.

After Mr. Elliot’s discharge from service following WWI, he came to Slaton to organize the Slaton Power and Light Company. The engine used only generated enough electricity to be offered in homes during the evening hours, “from dusk until midnight,” as it is written in Slaton Stories .

The next year, as the Brewer family’s social status in the community grew and the Hodge family continued to struggle, Slaton Stories reported that, “another engine of the same type and about fifty more customers were added and the plant operated one-half day each week for ironing to be done before 4:00 pm.”

As electricity grew in popularity throughout Slaton, including in the Brewer household, the Bridge Club parties and gatherings became ever more popular. From the back of the Brewer home, the Hodge family could hear all that took place.

“It was a lonesome place,” Dora F. Johnson Hodge wrote. “We lived in the servants’ quarters in the back of the Brewer home.” However, the Hodge family didn’t stay long and eventually moved to a location near the Santa Fe Reading Room. “We lived in a box car that had two rooms,” Mrs. Hodge wrote. This was in 1923.

That same year, 1923, the Texas-New Mexico Utilities Company purchased the plant from James Elliot and offered 24-hour service. The book, Slaton Stories states, “It was known as the Texas Utilities Company. A highline was built from the company’s plant in Lubbock east of the Santa Fe tracks to Slaton.”

On the outside, as technology advanced, Slaton grew and the future seemed vibrant and illuminating. During this time, the community gathered in friendship and camaraderie as children sang, “Let it shine, shine, shine… Let it shine,” all completely unaware of the challenges this new decade in Slaton would bring.

Harvey Houses, a glimpse of a different past

Thu, 30 Jul 2015 05:13:00 GMT

HOUSES OF HARVEY

BY REBECCA ROBINS

A few months ago I took Amtrak cross-country and it took three nights and four days from NYC to Seattle, including a four-hour layover and change of trains in Chicago. A century ago when you wanted to get anywhere in a hurry in the United States, you took the train. Times change.

And so has what it means to take a meal in the dining car. The fine china, Irish linens, the fresh fruits and vegetables, the ever-changing menus, and the “Harvey Girls” are all sadly gone. Now if you are thinking, who are the Harvey Girls, that’s even sadder, because 150 years ago Fred Harvey organized a system of train food service and production that changed the travel food industry and its glowing symbols were the young women servers.

Originally passenger trains did not serve food. About every hundred miles, the trains stopped for water and to change engines. They usually stayed about twenty minutes and during that time, passengers could buy and gobble down whatever food was available. Typically, it was expensive and inedible, unidentifiable stews and biscuits that were served in tents or ramshackle buildings close to the tracks. Many of these unhappy meal stops were in the isolated and windswept lands of the newly opened west. It was a problem for the railroads but one they chose to ignore. They were in the railroad business.

Click the link to read the full article.

http://www.hogsalt.com/wp-hogsalt/2014/11/houses-of-harvey/

Blog from a Guest

Sun, 19 Jul 2015 04:14:00 GMT

We really appreciate when our guests share the word about their Harvey House experience. Shared below is from Neil Kurtzman, M.D., who stayed with us a few days ago. This is from his own blog, which we highly recommend because of his amazing humor writing skills. Check this one out and try not to laugh out loud several times.

http://medicine-opera.com/2015/05/if-you-are-a-homicidal-maniac-press-1/

Here is his review and photos of the Harvey House, excluding some of the basic history posted previously on this website:

With just one half-time employee, the Slaton Harvey House has been restored and operates through a labor of love by dozens of dedicated area volunteers. One of them is Tony Privett, shown below. He is a Slaton native whose father was a Santa Fe conductor.

The The Harvey House of Slaton hasn’t received as much notice as it should. It beautifully displays a bygone piece of Americana that deserves recognition and attention. Lubbock is a city with a population of 300,000. Because of its universities and medical centers it receives many visitors. A trip to the Harvey House would add a lot to their stay in the Hub City. Locals should also visit the establishment and use its facilities. Below are a few photos I took during my recent recent to the House.

More great photos from Neil (some that we will use again unless he objects)

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNAZiR485Ap0deIxk5at8crOcaZeMvmLbMgKAaweFjpxG-EcCjhq8qOaiDsysJQEQ?key=R2Y0bnJHeWNyR3I2MFRnNXRVTVRweXNDa1h5MHlR

Here is is blog in full, and we again encourage you to read more from this fascinating guy.

http://medicine-opera.com/2015/07/harvey-house-slaton-texas/

Sweethearts of the West — The Harvey Girls

Thu, 16 Jul 2015 05:28:00 GMT

This is shared from Sweethearts of the West. We’ve shared various articles about Harvey Girls in the past but this may be the most complete to date. Enjoy!

FRED HARVEY AND THE HARVEY GIRLS

WWII Days at the Slaton Harvey House

Thu, 16 Jul 2015 04:56:00 GMT

Santa Fe passenger service train at Slaton Depot

Posted on Facebook adjacent this photo by Sallye West.

“During WWII my grandmother had one of the few cars in Slaton, when a troop train was coming through, the telephone operator would call my grandmother, and she would go gather up the women and sandwichs and they would hand them out at this station.”

Thank you Sallye!

Engine 1809

Sun, 12 Jul 2015 05:35:00 GMT

In case you might not know why Slaton has Engine 1809 parked prominently in the town square, you can get a quick education here: http://www.slatonchamberofcommerce.org/engine-1809.html, or copied below from the Slaton Chamber of Commerce.

Engine 1809, downtown Slaton, Texas

On Thursday, September 17, 1955 The Santa Fe Railway Company officially dedicated the steam-powered Engine 1809 to the City of Slaton. presented by W. a. J. Carter, Superintendent of the Slaton Division of Santa Fe, the engine w s accepted by Slaton Mayor L B. Wooton. Engineer J. W. Pettigrew brought Engine 1809 into the Slaton rail yard for her last journey before being retired.

Special recognition was given to W. R. Lovett, Walter Cannon, Jack Steward, and Louis Smith, all who were retired engineers of Engine 1809. In the dedication ceremonies, a special tribute was paid to the progress Santa Fe had made in the transition from steam to diesel. Melvin Kunkel, then President of the Slaton Chamber of Commerce, mentioned that possibility of a future transition from diesel to atomic power. In 1955, that was indeed a far-sighted statement! He also noted the role Engine 1809 played n our agriculture economy. Making the run to Houston known as the “Cotton Special”, Engine 1809 delivered cotton from this area to the Gulf ports.

The engine was built in 1906 by Baldwin Locomotive Works. It has a 2-6.2 wheel arrangement; weighs 242,000 pounds (121 tons); could generate a 200 pound steam pressure; has 70-inch drivers, and was used for both freight and passenger service. although it has not moved since 1955, Engine 1809 is one of the few remaining steam locomotives capable of moving under its own power because no working part has been removed.

The State of Texas Historical Society offered to buy Engine 1809, but of course, the City has no intention of ever parting with such a valuable piece of Slaton’s history. Many local railroaders had ridden on “1809” before her retirement and hold fond memories of her service to Santa Fe and Slaton, Texas.

Slaton Railroaders

Thu, 09 Jul 2015 06:14:00 GMT

For many years after the Harvey House closed, the building continued to serve the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway as a depot. Many local men and women worked in the building and/or climbed aboard trains as trainmen, conductors, engineers and more. We’d like to acknowledge and honor these folks as being part of our town’s railroad heritage.

Post them on our Facebook page and we’ll add them to our website blog and photo gallery. https://www.facebook.com/SlatonHarveyHouse

Harvey House in 24 Frames

Thu, 09 Jul 2015 05:27:00 GMT

Hi friends, you might enjoy this as we continue to resurrect and document the history and heritage of the Slaton Harvey House through our new website.

http://kttz.org/post/24-frames-slaton-harvey-house

New Manager Press Release

Wed, 08 Jul 2015 16:20:00 GMT

Slaton, Texas
July 2015

The Harvey House historic Bed and Breakfast and Event Center in Slaton has hired a new manager. Slaton resident and Texas Tech graduate Jessica Kelly is excited to put her experience and her Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional Management degree to use in the town that she calls “full of possibility.”

“Slaton holds a hidden charm, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this venture,” said Kelly. “There is so much talent and history – music, art, antiques – in our little town, and we look forward to encompassing all of it on a larger and more visible scale,” she said.

She added that everyone, near and far, should experience a night in the B&B, and that the event center is the perfect place for receptions, anniversaries, and many other occasions.

Jessica Kelly stands inside the Harvey House News Room, which has been renovated to appear as it did over one hundred years ago, when it sold magazines, toys, cigarettes, and postcards to train travelers. Photo by Kristin Bednarz

The Harvey House board has high hopes for the future. From Bingo nights, to planning weekend dinners, Murder Mysteries, holiday parties, collaborations with local and Lubbock high school culinary programs, team retreats, Boy Scout camps, and movie nights, brainstorming is underway and possibilities are endless.

Chad Wilson, president of the Harvey House board, looks forward to working with Kelly, and to holding regular office hours. “We as a board feel that Jessica is a perfect fit for both the Harvey House and its guests. We are anxious to put her experience and passion to work, and for our guests and patrons to meet her,” said Wilson.

New hours took effect mid-June, and the Harvey House is now open for tours and visits from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, and after hours and on weekends by appointment. The office will be closed July 12 – 26, but the Bed & Breakfast is open for reservations and the office will reopen for daily tours on July 27.

The staff and board look forward to putting the event center to use more often, and to hosting many future visitors in the beautifully renovated Bed and Breakfast. Fundraisers will also be key in keeping the non-profit historical marker in welcoming and working order.

“It’s fascinating,” said Kelly, “to have this little piece of history right here in West Texas. Harvey Houses were the first fast food and first chain restaurant and hotel, and the Harvey Girls really helped civilize the Wild West. We are incredibly blessed to have a Harvey House, renovated and in operation, within arm’s reach.

“Everyone in and around Slaton must take a tour. And if they’d like to make a donation while they’re here, well, we wouldn’t turn it down!” laughed Kelly.

For more information or to book a room or tour, visit SlatonHarveyHouse.com, email SlatonHarveyHouse@gmail.com, or call 806-828-5900.

To like on Facebook, search “The Slaton Harvey House.”

Bingo Night Glory

Sun, 21 Jun 2015 04:48:00 GMT

New Harvey House manager Jessica Kelly was introduced and introduced herself and her great enthusiasm for her role as we begin to become a more thriving bed and breakfast for area visitors and an event center for locals. We are fortunate to have her on board and we look forward to great things from her efforts.

A nice surprise in the early going was the arrival of a last-minute bed and breakfast reservation, a friendly couple all the way from Glasgow, Scotland! They were driving through this area and found us on this website. We gave them a great Slaton welcome.

New to Bingo Night was a Horse Race game that we won’t explain here, but the winner got $100 and the two runners up $25. The traditional silent auction of donated options was once again a competitive affair. We appreciate all of the wonderful auction items donated.

Lubbock area railroad preservation news

Fri, 19 Jun 2015 03:53:00 GMT

http://lubbockonline.com/life/2015-06-07/j-remembers-train-car-page-history-lubbock

Harvey House Fund Raiser Bingo Night, June 20!

Wed, 17 Jun 2015 05:26:00 GMT

If you haven’t been here before, the address is 400 Railroad Ave. (Railroad Ave. at Texas Ave.) Slaton, Texas 79364. While you’re here, ask for a tour of our upstairs B&B rooms for future use or guest recommendations!

Proceeds of the event go towards upgrades and restorations of this Texas Historic Landmark and we deeply appreciate your support. [contact-form]

The Slaton Harvey House. Then, a West-taming way station. Now, a nostalgic B&B and West Texas historical landmark.

Sun, 07 Jun 2015 05:33:00 GMT

http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2014-07-04/road-break-slaton-harvey-house-gave-quick-meal-great-memories

Harvey House Archaelogy

Sat, 06 Jun 2015 15:35:00 GMT

It’s fun to run across new “old” pictures from our B&B’s early days!

Slaton Harvey House interior photos, circa 1928

Mon, 01 Jun 2015 04:40:00 GMT

Photograph of a group of men and women from the Slaton Harvey House, with a family of husband, wife, and child sitting in the front row. They are identified as (left to right) front row: W. H. Bowman, manager, Virginia Bowman, Mrs. W. H. Bowman, N. A. Miller, W. O. Shelton, F. L. Wells, and H. T. Carr, and back row: Ira McCarver, Jimmy McCarver, John Shelton, Roybe Hill, Cleo Wolf, Jo Short, Verna Tabor, Mable Reno, and Blanche Tabor. (Courtesy of The Portal to Texas History and thanks to Chino Chapa for sharing this and several others).

Photograph of the interior of the dining room of Slaton Harvey House, with the tables set and a man standing behind a counter under a “cashier” sign.

Another great article

Sat, 30 May 2015 05:30:00 GMT

This, from Western Trips, an nice blog about low cost travel through historical sites and towns in the West. It adds some more depth to the Slaton Harvey House lore and we hope you enjoy.

http://westerntrips.blogspot.com/2012/04/west-texas-historic-harvey-house-slaton.html

From the Texas Plains Trail

Tue, 26 May 2015 13:02:00 GMT

The unique nature of the Harvey House of Slaton allows it show up in places we’d never expect. Here’s an example from TexasPlainsTrail.com. We are reposting it for you to see, but the original article can be found here .

Photo by Rick Vanderpool

During the heyday of the passenger railway system, train travel afforded a certain level of luxury and elegance now lost in today’s fast and furious modes of transportation. The comfort of rail travel, with its down-filled sleepers, white-linen dining cars, and drowsy, rhythmic staccato of steel wheels on tracks, made for pleasant and relaxing travel while surrounded by the creature comforts reminiscent of a fine hotel. But the train wasn’t the only purveyor of railroad luxury.

The Slaton Harvey House, a landmark Santa Fe railroad depot built in 1912 and located in the Plains Trail Region community of Slaton, offers an example of the services that once accompanied railroad travel. The Harvey House, part of a chain created by Scottish immigrant Fred Harvey in 1876, provided fine dining to passengers preparing to travel on the Santa Fe line, serviced courtesy of a bevy of hostesses known as the Harvey Girls. The two-story Mission Revival structure features concrete walls a foot thick and a parapet decorated with Santa Fe Railway symbols.

Today, the Slaton Harvey House has been restored to its former status as host to travelers, providing bed and breakfast service and archive to artifacts and memorabilia of the Slaton railroad heritage.

Look Around Lubbock: Slaton keeps Harvey House alive

Tue, 26 May 2015 12:16:00 GMT

Lubbock’s local Fox affiliate, FOX34, did a story on the Harvey House of Slaton recently. We repost it here, but if you click through to the original, you’ll see that it includes a video. We hope you enjoy it.

Though it has seen a lot of change over the years, the building maintains its historic charm.

The community has banded together, and over a 14 year process, the railroad depot spot is now a historic bed and breakfast.

Historian, Jolene Fondy, said locals and visitors can experience life in the Harvey House as it was in the 1920’s.

There are four rooms available for accommodations that include period-correct furniture and decor.

Fox 34’s Brittany Price gets a tour of the landmark. View the attached video ( on original article ) to see and learn more.