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- Hotel
- Coming from Wisconsin,
Mr. DeWalt arrived in Abernathy just ahead of the railroad. Mr.
DeWalt knew a hotel would be a profitable business in the town.
There would not be enough houses and there would be thousands
of land buyers coming to this area.
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- A large two-story hotel
was built relatively close to the railroad, just a little southwest
of the depot. There were nineteen rooms, a lobby, a huge dining
room, and two large halls. The walls were papered with red velvet
wallpaper. The rooms were large enough to put two double-beds
in each room. The walls were double walls with fire walls between.
Originally there was a balcony on two sides. It was removed later.
A porch ran under this balcony and was a good place to relax.
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- Mr. DeWalt sold the hotel
to Mr. Daniel in a few years. The Daniels were interested in
the youth of the town. Soon the teenagers were coming to the
hotel on Sunday afternoons and then on Saturday nights, too.
They played games and had parties.
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- When Mr. Buske bought
the hotel in 1919 the teenagers continued to come. They played
games of "Snap", and Musical Chairs". They sang
songs. They were not allowed to dance. Sometimes there would
be close to one hundred teenagers there.
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- The Sunday afternoon activity
was to meet the 2:30 passenger train, then have a baseball game
at the ball park by the hotel.
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- Many people remember going
there and they have all related what a good time they had.
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- The hotel was not built
on a foundation and the pilings were not strong enough to stand
the weight of the huge building. Mr. Buske tore the hotel down
about 1935 because of the deteriorating condition.
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