The Stagecoach Inn has been in continuous operation since it opened in 1847. (photo by Larry D. Moore)
Chappell Hill, Texas — founded in 1847 on 100 acres owned by a woman — is located roughly halfway between Austin and Houston on part of the land Mexico granted to Stephen F. Austin in 1821. Mary Haller, the landowner, and her husband Jacob built a stagecoach inn on the site, at the junction of two major stagecoach lines. Soon, other folks from the Deep South migrated to the area and planted cotton, for which the climate and soil were perfectly suited.
By 1856, the population had risen to 3,000 people, eclipsed only by Galveston and San Antonio. The town included a sawmill, five churches, and a Masonic Lodge, in addition to two of the first colleges in the state — one for men and another for women. A railroad line followed soon after.
A longhorn dozes among bluebonnets outside Chappell Hill, Texas. (photo by Texas.713)
During the War of Northern Aggression (otherwise known as the American Civil War), the men of Chappell Hill served in both Hood’s Texas Brigade (infantry) and Terry’s Texas Rangers (cavalry), participating in most of the major battles of the conflict. Two years after the war ended, in 1867, many of the Chappell Hill men who survived the fighting perished in a yellow fever epidemic that decimated the town and the rest of the area around the Brazos River.
Chappell Hill never recovered, plunging from one of the largest, most vibrant communities in the state to little more than a memory.
Today, with a population of 300 in town and approximately 1,300 in the zip code, Chappell Hill is an unincorporated community that retains its fighting spirit and independent nature. A May 2008 special election to determine whether the community would incorporate drew two-thirds of eligible voters to the polls. Incorporation was defeated by a margin of three to one.
Today, Main Street in Chappell Hill is a National Historic District. (photo by stevesheriw)
Widely regarded as one of the best historically preserved towns in Texas, Chappell Hill maintains its landmarks with admirable zeal. The Stagecoach Inn has been in continuous operation since the doors first opened. Main Street is listed as a National Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places. Restored homes, churches, and businesses offer tours to visitors, and the annual Bluebonnet Festival and Scarecrow Festival attract tourists from all over the state.
If you’re ever in the area, it’s worth a visit.
A Texan to the bone, Kathleen Rice Adams spends her days chasing news
stories and her nights and weekends shooting it out with Wild West
desperadoes. Leave the upstanding, law-abiding heroes to other folks. In
Kathleen’s stories, even the good guys wear black hats.
Her short story “The Second-Best Ranger in Texas” won the 2015 Peacemaker Award for Best Western Short Fiction. Her novel Prodigal Gun
won the EPIC Award for Historical Romance and is the only western
historical romance ever to final for a Peacemaker in a book-length
category.
I live in North Central Texas on the Fort Worth side of the
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The town of Mineral Wells is a couple of counties
to the west. This town bears that name for a very good reason. Each summer they hold a Crazy Water Festival. There
are several versions of how Crazy Water acquired the name, but here is the one most
often recorded.
Brazos River near Mineral Wells, Texas
The first well was dug by a Mr. Elder when he tired of hauling water from the Brazos River nearby. At first his family refused to drink the water because of the smell. When the cattle appeared to show no ill signs from drinking the well water, the family tried it. Mrs. Elder's rheumatism disappeared and Mr. Elder's stomach problems also disappeared. Word spread, and soon neighbors were lining up to buy water.
One nearby family had a terrible burden. The wife/mother was truly crazy
in the medical sense of the word. Probably she was bi-polar, but that
definition wasn’t around then. Her family and neighbors only knew the woman was
nuts.Her husband dug a
well and struck water. After drinking the water, the woman became more and more
normal until, eventually, she was cured—as long as she drank the water. Word
spread and soon neighbors were hauling “Crazy Water” from that magical well,
hoping it would cure whatever ailed them. (I think they should have called it “Sanity
Water.”)
Little did they know, the reason for the miraculous result was
the well was dug through a shaft of lithium—the same lithium used today to
treat severe depression and similar disorders. Although other wells in the area carry lithium, they also have high mineral content including bicarbonate of soda, calcium, and phosphate, hence the name of the
town Mineral Wells. And it is plural. Numerous artesian wells in this area
produced healing water for those suffering stomach complaints and rheumatism and arthritis. Bathing in the
water high in carbonated salts eased aching joints and muscles.
Crazy Water Crystal Plant then
An industry evolved in which the water was distilled and the
salt crystals sold nationwide in every form from small packets of salts, “crystals,” bottles, soaps, and large jars. In fact, that business is still going today. A customer can buy bottled water or crystal packets.
Caution, although this highly mineralized water helps certain stomach
complaints, I was told it also creates kidney stones and gall stones.
Famous Water Company Mineral Wells, Texas as it looks today
One antiquish collectible I own is a green quart-bottle from
Wizard Wells, a Crazy Water competitor. My husband and I drove to the site of
the old Wizard Wells baths and bottling plant, but were disappointed to find only
brush. There were numerous other competitors, but Famous Water Company with its Crazy Water is the
only survivor of these once thriving businesses. Although we heard a report of
one place that offered mud baths, we were unable to locate the establishment. Now it appears, the young couple who purchased the Famous Water Company have revived the practice of mineral baths.
Baker Hotel
Moving on i my saga, the Baker Hotel was built in 1926. This luxury hotel
featured baths, swimming pool, massage rooms, mud baths, and all the services expected at
a luxury health resort hotel. It had air-conditioning and ice water was piped into each room. A bowling alley was built under the swimming
pool. The garage was reached
through a tunnel under Highway 80 (now Hwy 180) to a parking building across
the street. Of course, in an opulent establishment like the Baker, residents
did not park their own cars. Famous people from across the nation stayed there and include Bob Hope, Marlene Dietrich, Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, the Andrews Sisters, the Dorsey Band, and my hero Roy Rogers.
And many of them performed in the elegant ballroom.
Sadly, the Baker Hotel and the Crazy Water Hotel nearby have
seen better days. The
Baker is an empty shell, stripped of all its fixtures by a previous owner who
auctioned them off and then declared bankruptcy. Attempts to raise the several
million dollars required to restore this grand old landmark have been
unsuccessful. At last there is interest from a buyer and hope blossoms that the day will come when this beautiful structure will be renewed.
The Crazy Water Hotel, which is built on the site of the first well, has fared only slightly better. It has
been converted to an assisted living facility for elderly residents. At least
the large bedrooms are an improvement over most such establishments. I wonder if the hotel residents drink the famous water and suffer from fewer medical complaints? From the
south windows of the Crazy Water Hotel, one can view the sales offices of Famous Water Company where water, salts, crystals, and soaps are sold. Recently, baths have been added. At
least a small portion of the legacy continues. Here's a video from ABC's WFAA - Chanel 8 in Dallas:
