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Harvey House Museum gets new coat of paint

By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Members of Florence Historical Society have taken the time this spring to spruce up the exterior of the Harvey House Museum.

It has a glistening, new coat of paint and its windows are sparkling clean.

The two-story building was the original Clifton Hotel, built in 1876. It was purchased by Fred Harvey in January 1878 for $5,370.

Harvey redecorated the exterior and interior of the building, which was his first of a long line of hotels. He hired a master chef and manager from Chicago, making the hotel into a first-rate dining establishment for travelers on the Santa Fe Railroad.

In 1879-1880, three trains passed through Florence every day with an average of 50 passengers each. Family-style meals in the 60-seat dining room cost 75 cents. Train crews ate for 25 cents.

Because of the demand for overnight rooms, Harvey added two wings to the original structure. When finished, it measured 30x130 feet. That year, more than 2,300 guests lodged in the hotel in a six-month period.

Social events such as the Calico Ball and annual banquets were held in the elegant dining room.

At its peak, the hotel employed approximately 18 people, including housekeepers, waitresses, and a cook.

Nutritious meals were served by women ages 18-30, selected by Harvey himself as respectable, attractive, and intelligent. They wore black dresses with white collars and black bows, black stockings and shoes, and white aprons.

Signing a pledge saying they would not marry for one year after beginning work, they became known as "Harvey girls."

But time marched on and things soon changed. Just 10 years later, on March 31, 1900, the Clifton Hotel served its last meal. Cars for dining and sleeping on passenger trains made it possible for passengers to travel longer stretches without stopping.

Harvey sold the hotel and moved on to open facilities in Newton.

The extensions to the building later were taken off and moved away. The main section was moved from the south side of the railroad tracks to the corner of Marion and Third streets on the north.

In 1971, Florence Historical Society purchased the building and six lots from Lillian Jackson, who had maintained a home in the house and also rented out rooms.

Work began on the house July 1, 1971, and on Labor Day that year, it opened as the Harvey House Museum. Since then, members of the historical society, wearing outfits modeled after the original Harvey House uniforms, have served countless dinners to guests from all over the state.

Diners learn about the history of Fred Harvey and his chain of restaurants and view artifacts from Florence's past on display throughout the building.

One of the upstairs rooms is dedicated to the memory of the Florence school district.

In 2002, the interior was redecorated maintaining as much of the original as possible. The elegant dining room features velvet drapes, new wallpaper, and large photographs of Florence pioneers.

The museum is supported by historical society dues, fund-raisers, dinner guests, and donations.

Reservations for dining can be made by contacting any one of the Florence Historical Society officers: Judy Mills, president; Sarah Cope, vice president; Marjorie Jackson, secretary; and Twilah Williams, treasurer.

(Some of these facts came from "Marion County Kansas Past and Present," by Sondra Van Meter, 1972).

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