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HOW IT ALL BEGAN
It all began over a century ago when a druggist from Waco, Texas Ed Dismuke at the age of 40 was given a death sentence from his doctors. Mr. Dismuke was advised that there was no remedy for his ailing stomach and was told to prepare himself for his journey beyond his life. Being the state-of-the-art apothecary, he refused to believe this and began a search for a cure.
Ed Dismuke did not have to go far. He headed northwest about 100 miles to an acclaimed health resort town tucked away in the beautiful Palo Pinto Mountains . In the town of Mineral Wells , the pharmacist went on a drinking binge of mineral water and his ailments disappeared. He quickly sold his 25 year old pharmacy in Waco and moved lock, stock and ambition to Mineral Wells.
It was in 1904 that Ed Dismuke founded the Famous Mineral Water Company establishing himself as one of the town’s premier purveyors of the health-giving elixir. The Famous Pavilion was built in 1914, complete with a game parlor and a fortune telling booth. Drawing from his background, the successful pharmacist and author of “Dismuke’s Handy Formulas”, his book which sold nation wide, developed products from the curative waters. The nationally sought after products Pronto-lax, Residuum, Dismuke’s Famous Crystals and Dismuke’s Eyebath were an outstanding success.
Dismuke’s timing was perfect. Mineral Wells already had a worldwide reputation for its “Crazy Water” after curing a woman suffering from a nervous condition drank from a mineral well in the late 1800’s. Health seekers from all over the globe flooded to this tiny mountain community by the thousands every year. Mineral Wells, from the 1900’s to the 1950’s, was known to be the premier Spa Resort Town in Southern United States. People came to drink and bathe in the healing mineral waters.
Nearly 6 decades later, shortly before his death, Dismuke noted that his Waco doctors had been dead for a long time. “The only thing wrong with me is old age”, he told reporters after his 97th birthday. Claiming he was never again treated by doctors after beginning his daily regimen of Famous mineral water and Proto-Lax, Dismuke devotedly promoted the mineral waters’ health giving properties. Mr. Dismuke was born March 6, 1860 in Louisiana , MO and died November 6, 1957 at age 97 after falling and breaking his hip. He is buried in Elmwood cemetery in Mineral Wells.
Howard Nevils managed the pavilion operations for Mr. Dismuke for more than two decades. His son, Donald tells tales of the locals coming into the pavilion and playing many games of dominoes some of which got pretty rowdy! He remembers the days of the people coming to buy the water for 3¢ a glass and 20¢ a gallon. They would give testimony to how the water would make them feel better and fight away illness. Donald says “he would drink 8 to 12 glasses a day of the mineral water and thinks that the good health he’s had can be contributed to the waters”.
The legacy of making mineral water products and serving it up by the glass continued when his wife Ida Mae Dismuke sold the Famous Mineral Water Co. to J.C. Causey in 1958. The daughter of J.C. Causey now lives in Canton, Texas and gives testimony to the healthful relief the people who flocked to the Mineral Wells drinking the “Famous” waters received.
Mr. Causey sold the company to Doyle Gill in 1979 and he operated it until 1981 when he sold it Freddie and Sis Newsome. The Newsome family distributed the waters for 4 years and then they sold the Famous Mineral Water Co. to A.D. and Susan Stone. In August of 1985, the Stone family donated the Famous Mineral Water Co. to the Palo Pinto Historical Foundation.
On April 29, 1988, H.F. and Charles Hickey extensively restored and renovated the Famous Mineral Water Pavilion. The Hickey family successfully operated the company for approximately five years under lease from the Foundation.
On April 15, 1994, the Famous Mineral Water Company was leased from the Palo Pinto Historical Foundation by Zephyr Water Company and operated by Sherry Holland.
The Historical Foundation sold the Property to the present owners, Bill and Helen Arneson and Carol and Scott Elder on October 1, 1999.
Now celebrating over 100 years of service to the area, loyal patrons continue to purchase bottles of the original mineral, deep well mineral, and reverse osmosis waters. Some customers bring their own containers and have them filled inside the original Famous Pavilion.
The Famous Mineral Water Company is the sole remaining namesake of Mineral Wells.
With a more health conscious public and increasing interest in drinking water, the Famous Mineral Water Company promises to survive for many years to come. Hours of operation for the company's mineral water pavilion are from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Friday and Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm. The pavilion is available to group tours at other times by appointment only.
To acquire additional information or to make specific travel and tour arrangements, contact the Famous Mineral Water Company at (940) 325-8870 or email the company at famouswater@yahoo.com.
Howard Nevils with his brother W.T. Nevils sitting outside The Famous Mineral Water Co. Pavilion. 1940.
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Famous Mineral Water Co.
, 209 N. W. 6th Street, Mineral Wells, Texas 76067
E-mail:
info@famouswater.com Tel: (940)
325-8870
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