The Belen Harvey House is looking for volunteer docents to lead tours in one of the last Harvey Houses in the United States. Many recurring shifts are available and training is provided by the Harvey House Staff. This is a great opportunity to learn and teach visitors about the vibrant history of the Harvey Houses and work with a great staff and other volunteers.
Volunteers must apply through the Mid-Rio Grande Retired & Senior Volunteer Program.
Call for more information (505) 966-2567
Belen Harvey House History
Belen's Harvey House operated from 1910 to 1939. It had a first-class dining room and a lunchroom with a large horseshoe-shaped marble counter. The Harvey Girls lived upstairs, as did the dorm mother and the office manager and his wife. In the 1940s, it briefly reopened during World War II, with many Harvey Girls coming out of retirement to serve troop trains. In the 1950s, it became the Santa Fe Reading Room for railroad employees, serving as a breakroom and dormitory through the 1970s. Boarded up and readied for demolition, a campaign by citizens of Belen saved the building from being torn down. In 1982, the Santa Fe Railroad donated the building to the City of Belen and hundreds of volunteers began restoring the building.
