By Andy Rhodes
Managing Editor, The Medallion
More than a century ago, travelers on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway were treated to a dining convenience that was a true luxury in West Texas towns like Slaton.
As part of the Harvey House experience, passengers would board a train, browse a menu, and select a meal. While approaching the Harvey House, railroad personnel telegraphed the orders to the building, where a precision-tuned operation was set in motion. Harvey House staff prepared food, placed linen and fine china on a large horseshoe-shaped table, and delivered meals to passengers immediately when they disembarked the train.
Food delivery was handled by the Harvey Girls, made famous in the namesake 1946 film starring Judy Garland. Although the movie’s depiction strays from the traditional mission of the enterprising young women employed by Fred Harvey, the professional service and legacy they provided remain a point of pride for those associated with Harvey Houses throughout the West.
“The impact they made was just phenomenal,” says Cynthia Jones of the Slaton Harvey House State Historic Site, which recently joined the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) family of historic sites. “We’d have up to 43 passengers per train, and these young ladies would handle everything with a level of precision that was just unbelievable.”
The Harvey Girls—who numbered as many as 12 in Slaton—only had 20 minutes to take care of their duties, since that’s precisely how long it took to refill the steam engines with water before continuing down the tracks. Despite long hours, dorm-style living conditions, and curfew restrictions, there are stories about the Harvey Girls sneaking out at night and roller skating in the basement.
“You can just imagine them on the smooth floors down here,” Jones says with a smile while surveying the large subterranean room.
At one point, Texas boasted at least 16 Harvey Houses across the state. At its peak in the early 20th century, the Fred Harvey Company operated more than 80 houses, primarily in the American West. Six of the Texas buildings remain standing, with most serving as railroad museums.
The two-story Mission Revival-style Slaton Harvey House, which opened in 1912, is the only location that serves as a bed and breakfast. Overnight visitors can choose from six tastefully furnished rooms and enjoy a hearty morning meal served in the same room where passengers dined a century ago. A retail area recalls the cigar shop/newsstand of the original building, and guests enjoy the sensation of lodging in a museum with artifacts, photos, and artwork around every corner. As an added bonus, visitors can sit on the patio and watch the trains chug by.
According to Jones, one of the site’s biggest draws remains the legacy of the Harvey Girls. The young women received $17.50 a month plus tips (including room and board), which put them in an enviable position among aspiring working women at the time. Many Harvey Girls were the first women in their families to be employed, and they often earned enough money to send to relatives or even put a down payment on a home.
“Those paychecks empowered women to be independent agents of western settlement,” says Ellen Cone Busch, the THC’s Director of Historic Sites Operations. “They purchased property and many married and settled locally, creating viable, lasting communities unlike towns that formerly sprung up along railroad lines filled with transient young men, saloons, and gambling houses.”
After nearly three decades of service, the Harvey House closed in 1942 when railroads introduced faster steam locomotives requiring fewer stops. The railroad company repurposed the building as a passenger and freight depot with business offices, which kept the building active for several more decades. By the 1980s, it was boarded up and on the verge of being demolished, but the former Harvey House wasn’t fated to become lost to history.
In December 1989, bulldozers were on the property in preparation for demolition when a quick-thinking plumber named Bill Burks made a fateful phone call. Before turning the water off to the property, he alerted city officials and local resident Almarine Childers, president of the Slaton Museum Association, about the imminent demolition.
“Almarine came running down here waving her arms around and yelling—she got a group of people together and they stood in front of this house and refused to move,” says Peter Laverty, president of the Slaton Railroad Heritage Association. “She demanded that they stop the bulldozers from getting anywhere near here. Sure enough, they turned those engines off and didn’t move an inch.
“We like to tell people we wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for the heroic actions of Almarine Childers,” he adds.
Looking to the future, Jones says she’s optimistic about the Harvey House now that it’s been transferred to the THC. She’s looking forward to working with professional historians and preservation architects who can enhance the site’s story and expand awareness about its distinctive place in Texas history.
“I’m very happy that we’ll be able to represent railroad history in this state and help people learn about how important it is to towns like Slaton,” she says. “This is real history. This is part of our culture. And it’s extra special that people can spend the night here, have a meal, and experience that history right where it all happened.”
Lubbock Beckons
While in Slaton, be sure to drop by the downtown Slaton Bakery to sample the 102-year-old company’s delectable breakfast pastries, hearty croissant sandwiches, and famous cookies. Also on the square is the impressively contemporary Combine, offering curated wines and beers paired with enticing tapas and flavorful flatbreads and salads. The family-owned restaurant provides a welcoming destination for locals and visitors in a 100-year-old building with the option of enjoying live jazz music and a fine cigar (available in-house).
After exploring Slaton, be sure to devote a day or two to visiting Lubbock, just 20 miles up the road.
The Buddy Holly Center celebrates one of the most influential figures in popular music, a Lubbock native who died in a tragic plane crash at the age of 22 after a brief but impactful 18-month career. The museum features informative exhibits, an enlightening film, and distinctive memorabilia (the signature horn-rimmed glasses found at his death scene are equally nostalgic and chilling). Around the corner is the remarkable 1938 Cactus Theater, which features live country and western acts, soulful singer-songwriters, and theatrical productions.
Another only-in-Lubbock cultural attraction is the American Windmill Museum, showcasing more than 170 historic and distinctive windmills from across the world in a giant barn with dozens more punctuating the grounds. They range from the enormous (165-foot wide in diameter) to the strange (two-pronged whirligigs).
Dominating the cultural landscape in Lubbock is Texas Tech University, which hosts a couple impressive museums free to the public. The National Ranching Heritage Center is a 16-acre mostly outdoor site featuring dozens of authentic yet relocated ranching structures. Spanning 200 years, these American ranch-related buildings run the gamut from ramshackle barn to opulent home. The adjacent Museum of Texas Tech University collections contain more than three million objects, and the thousands on display represent visual arts and natural sciences.
For a fun change of pace, head to Prairie Dog Town at Mackenzie Park for a glimpse of cute critters in the distance standing up on two legs and scanning the surrounding prairie. Visitors patiently wait as the rascally rodents randomly pop out of holes for photo ops.
