Just spent two wonderful days in the Heart of Fredness–which is, of course, Kansas City and nearby Leavenworth, KS, where the Fred Harvey empire was conceived, born and raised, its headquarters for over 60 years, from 1876 until the late 1930s. I was originally spirited back by the Kansas City Public Library for its terrific lecture series–thanks to public affairs director Henry Fortunato. And when the folks in Fred’s hometown of Leavenworth heard I would be nearby, the Leavenworth County Historical Society arranged an entire day of events visiting and talking about that city’s Fred Harvey Treasures (which are many.) Since both institutions were incredibly helpful when I was researching the book–and wondered if it would ever get done–it was great to be able to return to them with paperback in hand.

Some highlights from KC talk: local Harveyana collector Tom Taylor displayed some of his treasures (and regaled us with tales of his best Fred china deals) and during the book signing I met a woman (the mother of one of the librarians) who had known both Minnie Harvey Huckel and Kitty Harvey pretty well, and promised to write me with her recollections of them (which I will post here–she did say Minnie had an amazing glass collection, I wonder what became of it?)

The next morning I was taken to Leavenworth in a blinding rainstorm by Mary Stephenson–the driving force behind my visit there, who is very active in LCHS and actually lives in Sybil Harvey’s beautifully restored old house (across the street from the Harvey mansion, with an amazing blooming tulip tree in the front yard)–and Shirley Stieger, her Harvey Girl next-door neighbor and owner of the delightful Union Park Guest House around the corner, where I stayed (it’s a B&B where you get a whole little house, very cool). The peonies were in bloom everywhere in Leavenworth, and they were on all the tables at the LCHS event, and there were lots of Leavenworthies dressed as Harvey Girls taking care of us.

After the luncheon, my talk and a book signing (with copies of the new paperback provided by the local indie store the Book Barn), we went over to the Fred Harvey Museum, Fred’s old mansion, which is being lovingly restored by local volunteers–to whom I apologize for anyone who took offense at my description in the book of their efforts as Sisyphean, because they will finish and have not, as far as I know, been cursed by the gods. (Although, like many community-minded volunteers who have been laboring for a long time, they could probably use a little family therapy and the occasional reminder they all got into this for the love of Fred and Leavenworth.) Good things do come to those who wait, and they’ve made some impressive progress on the house since the last time I was here. And the little “temporary” museum in Fred’s old carriage house has some nice new things (I bought one of the Harvey Girl insulated cups–which got me flagged at airport security because of, I swear, a TSA “insulated cup warning.”)

After that, we had some time to kill before a happy-hour book signing in town, so five of us took a little road trip, first to Fred Harvey’s previous home on 2nd street which, as I wrote in another post, is a wreck. Fred’s old house condemned was so depressing we decided to visit the family burial plot at Mt. Muncie Cemetery to cheer us up, which it kinda did. And then we retired to a nice downtown drinkery, JW Crancer’s, to have a toast or two to dear old Fred.

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