The Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce held their annual open house on Thursday to celebrate National Travel and Tourism week with loads of food, visitors, and some special guests.

The Winslow Harvey Girls visited the chamber’s open house dressed in replica Harvey Girl uniforms and received a full tour of the chamber of commerce office building which was originally Brownwood’s Harvey House from 1914 to 1945.

The Winslow Harvey Girls, Peggy Nelson and Chris Pane, also gave a presentation after the open house at the Martin and Frances Lehnis Railroad Museum.  The presentation took those in attendance on a walk through history with a one-of-a-kind trunk show featuring Santa Fe Railroad and Fred Harvey China and memorabilia.

Based at La Posada in Winslow, AZ, the Winslow Harvey Girls are in their 16th year as volunteers dedicated to preserving the history of the Santa Fe Railroad, Fred Harvey, the famous Harvey Girls and noted architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter. These ambassadors of good will came dressed in 1890’s black uniforms topped with white pinafore aprons, have appeared at Grand Canyon’s Centennial Celebration, Painted Desert Inn, the Arizona State Capital, in Gallup New Mexico’s Silver Rails & Silver Screens Celebration, Belen, New Mexico’s Harvey House Museum, and Beatrice, Nebraska’s Pioneer Days.

Pictured above is Mary Irving (left), curator of the Lehnis Railroad Museum, showing Nelson and Pane old photos of Brownwood’s Harvey House from the 1930’s.