Chandor Gardens in Weatherford captures both the ornate design of ancient Chinese architecture and the elegance of a formal English garden. The 3.5-acre estate leads its visitors on a meandering path of beauty and wonderment. From the 30-foot man-made waterfall, to the various soothing fountains, the gardens have something new and exciting to offer at every turn. |
Douglas Chandor |
About Douglas Chandor Douglas Chandor was born in Surrey, England, on August 20, 1897. Chandor attended Radley College, Berkshire from 1910-1914, and promptly left college to enlist in the 1st Life Guards of the British Army. He later transferred to the Scottish Lovat Scouts, but was soon discharged due to his bout with typhoid and an injury that impaired his knee. During his time with fellow soldiers, Chandor began his first attempts at portraiture, and upon his discharge, was admitted to the Slade School in London. After six months of study, he progressed as a portraitist and within two years held his first one-man exhibition. His talent was sought world-wide, thus producing painted portraits of Edward, Duke of Windsor, the young Prince of Wales, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth, just to name a few of his some 200 recorded paintings. When he came to American and was living in New York, he met Ina Kuteman, fell in love, married in 1934 and moved to Ina's hometown, Weatherford, Texas. Chandor married Ina Kuteman Hill of Weatherford, Texas and soon embarked on his greatest masterpiece with four acres of barren land as his canvas. The project began in 1936 with the aid of picks, shovels and dynamite - and a man’s fortitude to construct a "living artwork." Chandor devoted sixteen years to his gardens before he suffered a major stroke from which he never recovered. He died January 13, 1953 at the age of 56. On March 4th of the same year, Ina Chandor opened the gardens to the public for a nominal fee of $1.00. She used the proceeds to help absorb the high costs associated with the gardens’ maintenance. The gardens were drawing several thousand visitors annually. Ina joined her late husband in 1978, and the gardens slowly died with them. Today, the grounds show new life - a place to escape from the cares of the world. It is a gardener's paradise for people young and old, horticulturist or amateur, or just someone who appreciates the beauty of nature. Douglas and Ina Chandor are buried at Old City Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford. |
Home of Crazy Water — In the late 19th century, Texas was well known for its mineral water resorts. People flocked to Texas by the thousands and were consumed with the mineral springs for one reason—to benefit from the healthful qualities of the waters. The greatest spa resort growth in Texas was from 1890-1919, during which time over one hundred new watering places were established. |
Mineral Type (mg/L) | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4 |
Calcium | 38 | 76 | 32 |
Magnesium | 17 | 33 | 19 |
Potassium | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Bicarbonate (HCO3) | 227 | 453 | 758 |
T. Alkalinity (CaCO3) | 186 | 371 | 621 |
Chloride | 106 | 212 | 200 |
Sulfate | 217 | 434 | 1170 |
Fluoride | .2 | .4 | .5 |
Sodium | 169 | 338 | 904 |
Manganese | .08 | .16 | .006 |
Zinc | .23 | .439 | .53 |
Silica | 10 | 19.4 | 15 |
Lithium | .02 | .05 | .17 |
pH | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.8 |
Total Dissolved Solids | 684 | 1369 | 2763 |
The Story of Crazy Water
The waters of Mineral Wells, Texas have been making folks feel good inside and out since 1881. Maybe because of the flavor. Maybe because they just might have healed a "crazy" woman who drank from the well. Either way, you’d be crazy not to drink it.
What’s your Crazy combination?
Crazy No. 2 is a refreshingly delicious blend of No.1 and No.3. with a light and crisp taste and is for folks ready to get a little Crazy. A lot of people drink Crazy No. 2 in combination with Crazy No. 4, our higher mineral content water.
Crazy No. 3 has a refreshing mineral taste and you can drink it throughout the day. A lot of people drink Crazy No. 3 in combination with Crazy No. 4, our higher mineral content water. Like No. 2, this water is also great for daily drinking. Crazy No. 4 is our full-bodied mineral water that brought health seekers to Mineral Wells long ago and has the highest mineral content. We recommend adults drink 1 to 2 glasses a day of Crazy No. 4. Many drink Crazy No. 4 in combination with Crazy No. 2, a lighter tasting mineral water. The Crazy Facts . . .
Mineral water is distinguished from other types of bottled water by its constant level
of minerals and trace elements at its emergence from the source. No minerals can be added to mineral water. Natural minerals in drinking water are more easily absorbed into the body than minerals from food. Mineralized water is needed for all cellular functions and if there are no minerals in your drinking water, your body will rob the minerals from somewhere else in your body to satisfy its needs. |
The Crazy Minerals . . . |
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Alkalinity – At Neutralizes acid in the human body Provides free oxygen to tissue Essential for vitality and a healthy life Sodium Bicarbonate – NaHCO3C Helps delay the onset of fatigue Helps in maintaining the body’s pH balance Assists in neutralizing lactic acid generated by physical activity Calcium – Ca++ Helps stabilize bone structure, teeth and cell membranes Helps prevent blood clotting Chloride – CI- Needed for metabolism (the process of turning food into energy) Helps keep the body's acid-base in balance Fluoride – F- Prevents tooth decay and promotes oral hygiene Lithium – Li Magnesium – Mg++ Found in almost all human cells Helps strengthen bone structure Helps expand blood vessels |
Manganese – Mn Helps in preserving bone density Helps breaks down fats,carbohydrates and proteins Aides in stabilizing free radicals, which may damage the body Potassium – K+ Aides in the growth of new cells Helps regulate pressure of water between cells and makes sure each cell gets enough food Silica – SiO2 Essential mineral building block and one of the body’s greatest energizing nutrients Helps tissue repair by serving as an antioxidant Strengthens hair and nails Sulfate – SO4 Aides the liver in detoxification and helps in digestion by stimulating the gall bladder Acts as laxative in high doses Zinc – Zn Strengthens the immune system and improves white blood count Aides the body’s absorption of minerals Improves the health of skin and hair |
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***Crazy Water does not make health claims. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases. |
The story of the now-defunct Baker Hotel begins in 1925, when citizens of Mineral Wells, concerned that non-citizens were profiting off of the growing fame of the community's mineral water. Famous for ghost or haunted stories. |
The Baker Hotel
The Baker Hotel was built by hotel magnate T. B. Baker who already owned the Baker in Dallas and the Saint Anthony in San Antonio. The Crazy Well Hotel AKA The Crazy Hotel had proven that the business was there in Mineral Wells. When the Crazy burned in 1925 - a more lavish hotel was planned with twice the number of stories of the Crazy and more than twice the number of rooms.
The "new" Crazy - rebuilt on the foundations of the old - had 7 stories and 200 rooms compared to the Baker's 14 stories and 450 rooms. The Baker had 11 floors for rooms with space for 50 "apartments" above the main roofline. These premium rooms had the benefit of the rooftop "solarium."
The Baker was modeled after the Arlington Hotel which still operates in Hot Springs, Arkansas - also built by Wyatt Hendrick. The Baker opened it's doors just two weeks after the stock market crash of 1929. It filed for bankruptcy in 1932, but new owners kept the building open. It served as military dependent quarters from 1941 to 1944 and remained open until 1963.
It reopened briefly from 1965-1972 but the doors have been shut since then.
The public's taste, increased mobility and changing values made the Baker a relic of an earlier age. It was a lively place while it was open, though, with celebraties like Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Marlene Dietrich, Jean Harlow, Helen Keller and even the Three Stooges (Shemp, however, was reportedly asked to stay elsewhere). One brochure states that it was the 2nd hotel in the U.S. to have a pool - but that seems unlikely.
Entertainers that performed at the Baker included Lawrence Welk, Pat Boone, Mary Martin, Judy Garland and Paul Whiteman (and his orchestra).
The building has been described by various writers as "The Grand old Lady of Mineral Wells," "a red-topped UFO," and a "cathedral." Prof. Jay Henry, author of Texas Architecture 1895-1945 unsentimentally calls it "essentially a slab of guest rooms with public spaces at the base." The one thing that is agreed upon is the hotel's dominance of the Mineral Wells skyline.
Mr. Baker had his 3 bedroom, five-bath apartment on the 7th floor. A place that is reportedly haunted by the ghost of his mistress. Even today, with it's ghosts, broken windows and bats, it's easy to imagine the hotel's salad days in the 1930s when anyone with $35 dollars could get a week's stay with baths, massages and all the water they could keep down.
The Crazy Hotel, once reduced to second-class status by the Baker, has had the last laugh, since it remains open. It is currently in use as a retirement home. The Baker remains in good shape despite a leaking roof and is still on the market - perhaps the biggest real estate white elephant in Texas.
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The first public school building in Mineral Wells, the building that is now the Rock School Museum was erected in 1884. The museum is devoted to the preservation of the historical memorabilia of the city of Mineral Wells. |
The jail, built in 1880, served Palo Pinto County until abandoned in 1941. It lay vacant until 1968, when it was converted into the headquarters of the Palo Pinto County Museum. |