Slaton Harvey House Logo

Fannie Belle Green Teague: From Indian Territory to Slaton, Texas

gculver • Jan 31, 2016

January 30, 2016 By Rosa Walston Latimer

From the beginning of my research about the Harvey Girls who so capably staffed the many Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe Railroad, I was impressed by the contribution these women made to the communities where they worked and lived. Slaton Harvey Girls were no exception.

Most Harvey Girls met their future husbands while working in a Harvey House although dating was strictly chaperoned. To further complicate matrimonial aspirations, in the early years at least, the young women were required to sign a contract with Fred Harvey stating they would not marry until they had worked at least six months and married women could not work as Harvey Girls. By far the majority of the “educated women of good character” who came west to work for Mr. Harvey soon married and continued to live many years in the towns where they had once proudly worn the black and white uniform of the Harvey Girls.

I hope you enjoy this excerpt from my book, Harvey Houses of Texas (The History Press, 2014). The story clearly illustrates the long-term influence Harvey Girls had on the communities where they worked and lived. My primary source for Fannie Belle Green Teague’s story was the transcript of an interview with her that is held in the archives of the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

Fannie Belle Green  came to Slaton  with the railroad. She had been a Harvey Girl at the Vaughn, New Mexico  Harvey House before transferring to Slaton  in 1912 to help establish the new location. Living in the dormitory-style residence of Harvey Houses must have seemed particularly luxurious to Fannie . Born in Bowie County, Texas, her family moved to Indian Territory in 1899, where home was a half-dugout on the flat prairie. By the early 1900s, her father relocated his extended family to remote Encino, New Mexico, where he worked as a carpenter. A female railroad agent at Vaughn, fifteen miles away, persuaded Fannie, her sister and a cousin to become Harvey Girls .

   Although a remote railroad location, Vaughn had its share of excitement, including a visit by Charles Lindbergh, who made an emergency landing in the desolate New Mexico desert and spent time at the Harvey House. However, Fannie was pleased with her transfer to the new Slaton  Harvey House, where she found it more exciting with more railroaders and fewer rowdy cowboys.

   Serving customers in a Harvey House was a natural fit for Fannie . At age seven, when her mother became ill, Fannie cooked and served her first meal to men who were helping with the harvest. Although a chef and kitchen staff handled food preparation in the Harvey House, in Slaton,  Fannie and the other four waitresses on the day shift were responsible for keeping Harvey coffee freshly made. The Harvey Girls had to memorize orders and pass them on to the cooks who committed them to memory and rang a bell when the food was ready. A notepad kept in an apron pocket was used only to total the cost of each meal for the cashier.

   The day shift began at 7:00 every morning and, after serving passengers from three trains plus railroad employees and local diners, ended at 6:00 p.m. A normal workday allowed for a two-hour break in the afternoon and unless there was a shortage of Harvey Girls , everyone was allowed one day off each week.

   Fannie’s social life may have been tame by some Harvey Girl standards. She usually went to the Santa Fe Reading Room next door to the Harvey House where an assortment of reading material was provided for train passengers and railroad employees. As Fannie  strolled across the brick promenade to the Reading Room she began to take notice of Joe Teague Jr., the night ticket agent, as he walked to work each evening. Soon Joe began to come to work early so there was some time to talk to Fannie, and their time off from work was coordinated as often as possible.

   Fannie’s Harvey Girl career ended in 1915 when she and Joe married. The couple continued to live in Slaton,  and the Teague family established the Teague Confectionary. The business, later named Teague Drug, remained a center of commerce and community socialization on the downtown square in Slaton  until 1987.

Young Fannie Greene had no idea what lay ahead when she left the established Las Chaves Harvey House and Hotel in Vaughn, New Mexico to move to the upstart railroad town of Slaton, Texas to open the Harvey House there. Perhaps she received a raise in wages and perhaps she was merely looking for her next adventure.

 

 

 

By gculver 26 Apr, 2018
By Rosa Walston Latimer. The story of the hiring process of the Fred Harvey company is well known.  Harvey’s advertising in women’s magazines and newspapers for “educated women of good character to go West to work” enticed young women to the Kansas City office for a personal interview. If they met Harvey standards  the women […]
By gculver 05 Feb, 2018
By Rosa Walston Latimer. Research of Fred Harvey and his inventive approach to business has revealed his contribution of many familiar hospitality-related practices such as the “blue plate” lunch special and requiring men to wear coats in the dining room. However, perhaps the Harvey “way”’s most influential and long-lasting impact is dedication to exemplary customer […]
By gculver 22 Dec, 2017
By Rosa Walston Latimer.   When the railroad forged its way through the West, it brought Fred Harvey restaurants and hotels with it. Certainly Mr. Harvey had a unique vision and was an astute businessman, as were his sons and grandsons who continued the business after his death in 1901. However, it was the employees, […]
By gculver 25 May, 2017
by Jessica Kelly Slaton Harvey House April 4, 2017 He is just a little guy, but his dreams are big. Ozzie, his brother, and his parents came to stay at the Slaton Harvey House Bed & Breakfast in September 2016. It was his sixth birthday and, being the train enthusiast he is, spending the night […]
By gculver 27 Feb, 2017
Built in 1906, her career lasted 49 years, including service to Slaton.  Donated to Slaton in 1955, now residing in the town square park.   (photos courtesy argusrail.com)
By gculver 07 Nov, 2016
By Rosa Walston Latimer, Author of Harvey Houses of Texas Visitors to the Slaton Harvey House have an opportunity to experience firsthand one of the lesser known Fred Harvey merchandising successes – the Harvey newsstand. The Slaton newsstand remains intact along the west wall of the area that was once the Harvey lunch room. In […]
By gculver 05 Aug, 2016
We are grateful for Rosa Latimer’s support of the Slaton Harvey House by serving on it’s board and providing wonderful ideas, offering illuminating stories for your reading pleasure. (Such as below) and, coming soon, having her delightful play “The Harvey Girls” acted out in our own Harvey House. Here’s Rosa: The year: 1913. The place: […]
By gculver 29 Jun, 2016
By Rosa Walston Latimer Rose Heilers sat on the window sill of her second floor bedroom of the Harvey House in Slaton, Texas. She leaned against the glass so she could see further down the railroad track below. Since meeting Bill Farschon, a railroad man, a few months ago this is how she has spent […]
By gculver 11 May, 2016
By Jessica Kelly As a child, bouncing along in our family’s VW van, I always looked forward to the times we passed a train. I loved joining in as all seven of us broke out in the same tune, gleefully singing about the “little red caboose behind the train, train, train, train.” My generation saw […]
More Posts
Share by: