Some of the early business establishments of this health resort are interesting to us, particularly in the fact that we can compare and note the difference in the way things are today and the way things were 'way back when'.

The Palo Pinto Bath House was a long rambling structure, had a large number of rooms for bathing purposes for ladies and gentlemen.  There was a grand selection in baths for the customer, such as plain, Turkish, Salt Glow, Russian Massage and Vapor Baths.  This low rambling structure that was the home of the Palo Pinto Bath House, looked more like a home for a large family than a business establishment.

In the early history of Mineral Wells, as soon as it was found that the strongest mineral water could be condensed so that crystals would form on the surface after cooling, this became quite an important industry and the product sold to customers in every state in the Union.  Frank Richards, then the hustling young manager of the Star Well, purchased a block of ground in the upper part of the valley he had two wells dug that yielded an apparently inexhaustible supply of the very strongest mineral water.  Furnaces were built and pumps were installed, and a modern evaporating plant was constructed that turned out, annually, hundreds of pounds of mineral water crystals.  This new well development was called the Pike Well.

William O'Brien owned and operated the famous Hawthorn Well, that not only had mineral water and a drinking pavilion ......(water that is) but also catered to pleasure seekers with a big bowling alley available, and dances were held in the pavilion, afternoon and nights during season.

Another popular place to stay in Mineral Wells back in the early days was the Beeler House, located across the street from the Crazy Well.  The house was two story with a frontage of 200 feet on the south and the house was owned and operated for years by George C. Beeler.  This house had mineral water in the yard.

Two early day real estate dealers were Flake Barber and Dick Beeler.  Flake was born in Johnson County May 17, 1872, where his parents had gone to seek refuge from the Indians.  They were pioneer settlers of this county.  Dick Beeler, born in Dallas, came to Palo Pinto County in 1883.

One enterprising young woman by the name of Miss Bettie Brown, decided on a way of making money with so many visitors coming to Mineral Wells in the early days to drink the water and take baths, so she made a bonnet of paper with ruffled paper trim and a bow in the back, quite fetching, that she sold during the summer visitor season.  She also patented the bonnet and from what we can gather, did quite well in selling these summer bonnets during the hot weather that Mineral Wells was famous for, even 'way back then'.

The late E. B. Ritchie came to Mineral Wells in the fall of 1899.  He came to Texas however in 1897-8 and returned to Kentucky in April 1898 and that was when he proposed to Mrs. Ritchie to marry him and come to Texas.  She did, and she's been here ever since.

That Sangeura Sprudel Pavilion not only had modern bowling alleys for the pleasure of the health seekers, but also had billiard rooms in connection.

Some of us may have wondered why houses were built with such high ceilings a long time ago, perhaps the advertisement of the Lamar Sanitary Bath House gives us that answer, we quote: "The walls are built of brick to keep out cold atmosphere, plastered and kept antiseptically calcimining to exclude germs and microbes, high ceilings, to admit the free escape of foul air, cement floors to promote cleanliness, well regulated steam heat for even temperatures, new porcelain tubs and everything first class for giving all kinds of mineral baths, winter or summer."

Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Stewart certainly knew how to feed people and hopped around nearby places before settling in Mineral Wells.  They conducted the boarding outfit on the Santa Fe between Fort Worth and Purcell, Cleburne to Fort Worth and from Ballinger to San Angelo.

Then they conducted boarding houses at Thurber and Strawn before moving here.  They conducted the Fairfield Cottage and then went all out in the operation of the then new Fairfield Inn.