Experience the Wild West and relive the excitement of Hell’s Half Acre.In 1917, James Liston, the second owner of the Maxwell-Liston House, was robbed and killed on the back porch.See the bullet hole remaining almost 100 years after the crime.According to 1917 Fort Worth Record newspaper articles, Mr. Liston was a prominent Fort Worth citizen, who owned the Century Bar and the Union Depot Tavern in Hell's Half Acre.As was his custom, Liston brought his proceeds from his saloons home every Saturday night. However, this time when he arrived home by horse and buggy, Mr. Liston was met by three armed robbers.Earlier that day, the men had stolen a five-passenger Overland touring car downtown in front of the Majestic Theatre and had stopped at the Kincaid home to ask directions to the Liston home.The robbers called Liston out onto the back porch and fired six shots, four that fatally hit their mark, and one that remains visible in the outside wall. The robbers riffled Mr Liston's pockets while holding Mrs Liston at gunpoint. The assassins fled by car but wrecked the escape vehicle a few blocks away on Broadway Avenue. Two escaped on foot, but the police apprehended Joe Walsh, a one-legged man who tried to crawl away after losing his crutch. A large sum of money was stolen but only a few silver dollars were found in the vehicle. The other two highwaymen were never found. Mrs. Liston continued to live in the home for many years and the house remained with the Liston family until 1941. The memories of Fort Worth’s Wild West are kept alive at the Hattie May Inn!
Back in the Day...The Year is 1904
While visiting the Hattie May Inn, you can easily imagine yourself in the early Twentieth Century. In 1904, one hundred four years ago, did you know? US statistics for 1904 tell us:
The average life expectancy in the US was 47 years.
Only 14% of the homes in the US had a bathtub.
Only 8% of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11.00
There were only 8,000 cars in the US, and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state.
The tallest structure in the world was the EiffelTower.
The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour. You didn't make a lot of money but it was yours; there was no "INCOME" tax or SS to pay
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year; a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year; a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births in the US took place at home.
Ninety % of all US physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned by the government and press as "substandard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.
The five leading causes of death in the US were: Pneumonia and influenza, tuberculosis, diarrhea, heart disease, and stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two of 10 US adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 % of all Americans had graduated high school.
Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one full-time servant or domestic.
There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US.
Hattie May Inn Bed & Breakfast 712 May StreetFort Worth, Texas 76104Phone (817) 870-1931
