Billed as “the South's greatest health resort,” it’s no surprise that early Good Roads advocates chose Mineral Wells as the location for their conventions. The town, founded in 1877, became a booming health resort in 1885, when the Crazy Well was dug. The water that sprang forth contained lithium and was bottled and shipped all over the country. Hotels, spa resorts, restaurants, souvenir shops, and casinos sprang up around town. People came to Mineral Wells from all over to bathe in the healing waters and be cured of their ailments. The Texas Highway Commission was no exception, holding one of its earliest official meetings in the resort town on June 21, 1917, when it designated the state’s first official highway. The Bankhead National Highway Association also met in Mineral Wells in 1919 and finalized the route through Texas. While you’re here, be sure to pick up some of that Crazy Water on your way to Lake Mineral Wells State Park.
Baker Hotel
201 E. Hubbard St. (private property)
Looming large on the Mineral Wells skyline, the Baker Hotel seemingly pops out of the surrounding farmland when first seen by those traveling into the city. Many likely hoped to find the cure to their ailments at the hotel built to attract those seeking the healing and restorative benefits of the town’s mineral waters. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
More Locations in Mineral Wells
Gas Station
516 S.E. 6th Ave. (private property)
This 1920s station is fashioned in the Bungalow/Craftsman style, modeled after many homes built during the same period. Architectural elements typical of this style include the hipped roof, boxed columns, and brick construction with wood trim. Other examples of this style can be seen in Mount Vernon and Albany.
Baker Hotel Parking Garage
201 Hubbard St. E. (private property)
Forget your car and forget your worries once you’ve parked it at the Baker Hotel’s parking garage. Back in the day, tourists gladly pulled into the garage after a long day’s travel and eagerly headed over to the hotel for a soak in the mineral spring-fed pool. Unlike today’s drab and non-descript parking garages, the Baker Hotel’s garage is a site worth seeing.
Phillips 66
315 S.W. 1st St. (private property)
The space race was in full gear, the Jetsons were on TV, and car culture had taken over America by the 1960s. The iconic Phillips 66 gas stations of the time are an embodiment of the futuristic mindset Americans embraced during the period. Be sure to check out this space-age beauty in Mineral Wells.
City Park
Hubbard St. W.
This city park was built in the 1920s. Entrance pillars were commonly used as a sign to travelers to pull over and walk among the trees to stretch their legs before continuing the journey down the road.
Restaurant
6592 US 180, west of town (private property)
Built among the green rolling countryside on the outskirts of Mineral Wells sits this 1920s castle-themed former restaurant. In its heyday travelers could stop in, fill up on food and drink, and maybe even some revelry.