Dallas, Texas: Dallas Heritage Village - Part Four

Beware, this is a long post - but has some scary and interesting and exciting things in it.  You might want to make yourself a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate and grab a biscuit/cookie or two ....

Next along the way is the Doctor's Office.  Built in 1890 also in the Queen Anne Style it is typical of the type of house built to also accommodate offices of doctors in the late nineteenth century.

The doctors office....

Yikes!

Look Henry!  Leilani points out the skeleton...

She is rather worried

I put my arm round her to reassure her that there is nothing to worry about.

But I am not sure she is convinced.

The treatment room...

Equipment used.

Drugs....

Preparation room for mixing lotions and potions.

Once we had finished looking at all the fascinating things in the Doctor's Office we continued on our journey.

There were more buildings across the road, but I think these were used for offices and things.

Back to the Donkey's pen and the Carriage House which is the home of the Mammoth Jack Donkeys I showed in a previous post.

A carriage.

I imagine the donkeys pulling this...

It must have been quite exciting riding in one of these carriages

...and even more exciting to drive one!

Soon though it is time to stop imaging my time in a carriage and continue exploring...

Next up was a 'Shotgun House' built in 1906.   These houses featured single rooms connected to each other in straight lines from the front door to the back door and were common in the working class neighbourhoods of Dallas and throughout the South.    This particular house comes from an African-American neighbourhood around State-Thomas streets in what was then considered to be North Dallas.  It was built and owned by Dr Hall  who built a series of 10 houses that lined Guilliot Street.  He saw a lucrative business in the rental market in the growing city.  Most of the residents who lived in such houses would have been laundresses, cooks, yardmen, drivers, or worked in service jobs in Downtown Dallas.  Dr Hall installed electrical wiring and outdoor taps for city water to attract a high quality and stable clientèle. 

The insides were basically decorated and furnished.

Not especially big rooms after those of likes of Sullivan, Blum, and Millimore residence.

Toys, some handmade.

The parlour - multi-purpose

The Railway Depot was built in 1886 - 87 and served the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Line.  It was called the MKT or KATY line.  Most architecture for the railroad was standard throughout the west, and each railroad line had designated colours.  It had railroad tracks on both sides as well as doors to service both freight and passengers

There was a lot to look at in the depot and I had a great time inspecting all the interesting items that gave me a glimpse of history of the people that passed through them.

There was a box with architectural equipment - architects and builders found plentiful work in towns that were becoming established.

Now this looks interesting...

In fact very interesting!  Look!  This dentist had the same name as me..

...well almost anyway!

I was really fascinated by this - and to discover that he became Doc Holliday - I learnt about him last year when I went to Tombstone, Arizona and heard about the Gunfight at O.K. Corral.  I didn't realise his name was 'John HENRY Holliday', nor that he had also been in Dallas - how wonderful is that?  He got around like I do!  You can read more about him here.

Some pretty scary dental equipment.

Waiting for a ticket for the train...

Doesn't seem to be anyone at the counter selling tickets.

The station office.

The store and supplies side of the Depot

A little display feature on the wall.

De Leon House was built in 1883 and was known as a 'section house' built for the railroad foreman and his family.  It was painted in the designated colours of the KATY Railroad.  

Worth Hotel was built in 1904 a short walk from the train depot.  One source of business was lunches hotel employees packed for the railroad passengers.  The number of lunches needed each day would have been telegraphed through to the hotel. Hotels such as this one would have depended on clientele from the railroad traffic such as travelling salesman and migrant workers.   Often these hotels also served as low-rent boarding houses providing little more than the basics, food and shelter.  

Dining room.

Toys illustrate that there would have been children present at times as well.

This really is an exciting place - there was so much to see and do and it is great to have my memories refreshed at all we saw.

Some more to still come!