Home Page

Harvey House of Slaton, Texas
The Historic Harvey House is now a Bed and Breakfast, Event Center and Historic Santa Fe Landmark

Railroad Adventures can be found at the Harvey House of Slaton, Texas

The city of Slaton has historic ties to the railroad. For decades the site was ranch land until the Santa Fe railway sought a location for a division point to service trains. The Santa Fe bought the land in April 1911, naming the town site for rancher and banker O.L. Slaton. Passenger and freight service became central to the economy, and the company built a passenger depot and Harvey House the following year. Scottish immigrant Fred Harvey created the Harvey House chain in 1876, partnering with the Santa Fe railway, which built the restaurants and provided space on their trains for food and supplies. Harvey provided the equipment, management and hospitality staff, including hostesses known as Harvey girls.

The Slaton Harvey House served efficient but elegant meals to 42 passengers at a time around a horseshoe-shaped counter on the first floor, which also housed the kitchen, bakery, gift shop and manager's office. The manager and his family and the Harvey girls roomed on the second floor. The Slaton Harvey House, a commercial and social center, operated for thirty years, briefly reopening to serve troops during World War II. The building remained a passenger depot until 1969; the railroad later converted it to a freight depot and operations center before vacating the property in the 1980s. Slaton citizens coordinated the preservation and restoration of their landmark building.

The two-story mission revival Slaton Harvey House features one-foot thick concrete walls, and arcaded track side pavilion with stepped parapet, overhanging eaves with brackets, divided light windows and a flat upper story parapet decorated with the Santa Fe railway company symbol.

RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK 2007

MARKER IS PROPERTY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS

Welcome to the Harvey House of Slaton your West Texas adventure headquarters...

Adventure lodging has arrived on the South Plains of Texas with the opening of the Harvey House of Slaton, Texas. Railroad enthusiasts, history buffs, and modern-day explorers looking for the ultimate B&B adventure will be enchanted by the magic of this historic, and fully-restored, West Texas and Santa Fe Railroad landmark. From the Harvey House, couples, families, singles and friends will discover even more adventure as they venture out into the wide-open spaces of "The true Wild West". From Slaton, adventure can be found in every direction...

Located alongside the Burlington-Northern-Santa Fe Railroad and only 15 miles southeast of Lubbock, Texas, the City of Slaton sits only minutes from the impressive Yellow-house Canyon, the upper reaches of the Brazos River. In this area, Cotton is King. With the mystic of the cowboy and cattle trails in ones mind, the endless plains provide the vista for unforgettable sunrises and sunsets. Hunters, bird watchers, photographers, and artists will be attracted to the rich environments of the High Plains. And remember, the stars never shine brighter than on the prairie.

In Slaton, everything old is truly new again, as this community nears its 100th birthday. Visit the Slaton Museum and Antique Mall, the Slaton Confederate Air Force, Mercy Retreat Center, and the revived downtown square with a new City Hall. Here visitors will find the famous Slaton Bakery, Klemke's Sausage Haus, and several art galleries and shops. Slaton will soon be home to a new model railroad museum. Several award winning wineries are located just down the road.

The Harvey House of Slaton is a small, intimate, smoke free, heritage lodge built in 1912 and first operated by Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls from the golden era of the turn of the century. The Harvey House of Slaton, open year round, offers you and a friend or loved one, warmth and comfort in one of our 4 jewel-toned bedrooms. Included with your stay, as you watch the trains roll slowly by, is a Continental breakfast, prepared with care, or breakfast-out coupons, your choice. In-house catering is available through the Events Center. The facility is handicapped accessible and has access to high speed Internet.

A wonderful start and finish to a day spent exploring the best of West Texas... your Harvey House adventure can soon begin!

March Event Calendar:

Dinner Theater Fundraiser

Planned for Slaton Harvey House

The Slaton Harvey House will present a dinner theater March 6 and 7, 2009 at 6 p.m. featuring a wine tasting, gourmet meal and performance of the play “Harvey Girls.” Written by Rosa Latimer, the production is directed by Jay Young. Proceeds from the event will go to the Slaton Railroad Heritage Association and the Lockney High School Theater Department. The dinner, featuring beef tenderloin, will be catered by Lacy Vardeman and her staff.

“I saw this play on stage a couple of years ago and knew it would be great for a dinner theater venue,” said Dolores Mosser, Manager of the Slaton Harvey House. “I was thrilled when the playwright and director agreed to adapt the play to our setting.”

The audience will be transported back to the time when the Slaton Harvey House was bustling with activity and train passengers enjoyed tasty meals served by efficient Harvey Girls. “We’ll begin the evening with appetizers and after the delicious catered meal, the actors will move among the audience. The entire dining room will be our stage,” Mosser explained.

“Harvey Girls” premiered at the Garza Theater in Post in 2007 and played to a full house each of the 7 performances. Many of the original cast members will appear in the Slaton production.

The Slaton Harvey House, 400 Railroad Avenue, is a commercial and social center, operated for thirty years, briefly reopening to serve troops during World War II. With guidance and oversight by the Slaton Railroad Heritage Association, Slaton citizens coordinated the preservation and restoration of this landmark building. The beautiful historic Harvey House now serves as a bed and breakfast, an event center and an historic Santa Fe landmark. It has been designated as a Texas Historic landmark.

In addition to the obvious tie to the Slaton Harvey House because of the setting of the play, the playwright is a Slaton native and Christie Bradshaw who plays one of the main characters in the story is a former Slaton resident.

The play, set in 1913, tells the story of a group of Harvey Girls who live and work in a Harvey House in a small Texas town. “I had two priorities when I wrote “Harvey Girls,” said playwright Rosa Latimer. “First, I wanted to educate the audience about Harvey Girls and their contribution to the settling of the West. I also wanted to pay tribute to my grandmother who was a Harvey Girl. She met my grandfather, who worked for the Santa Fe Railroad, in a Harvey House.”

There is limited seating for the dinner theater event and reservations are required by March 1 by calling 806-787-3180. Tickets (56 for each night) for the dinner and play are $100 per person.

austin city limits tickets