Our Mission
Honoring the Harvey Girls and their contributions to western hospitality.
- Preserving a part of women’s history related to the development of railroads in the Western United States.
- Honoring the Harvey Girls and the significant contribution they made to redefine hospitality in the West.
- Researching the history of the Harvey Girls, the Fred Harvey company and their relationship to the Santa Fe Railway.
- Developing and maintaining a substantial collection of Harvey related artifacts.
- Operating the Fred Harvey Exhibit to enhance the experience of visitors to the Southern California Railway Museum.
- Increasing the public’s knowledge of the Fred Harvey legacy through presentations and events while wearing replica Harvey Girl uniforms.
Gift Shop
The SCRM Gift Shop carries a variety of Harvey Girl merchandise—books, mugs, aprons, t-shirts, coffee, and more.
Visit other places to find more information about the Harvey Girls:
Stephen Fried’s Fred Harvey Page
National Park Service: The Harvey Girls—Increasing Opportunity
The Harvey Girl Historical Society started in September 1998 at the Orange Empire Railway Museum—now called the Southern California Railway Museum. We’ve raised funds, welcomed donations, and worked hard to build The Fred Harvey Exhibit. We host several events during the year.
Fred Harvey redefined hospitality on the Santa Fe railroad. He provided travelers with very well-prepared meals served in clean rooms by friendly and efficient waitresses. This became so popular that he eventually opened 47 Harvey House eateries, 30 Dining cars and 15 Hotels.
The Harvey Houses were located throughout the Mid-West and Southwest, from Chicago to San Francisco, even down to Galveston, Texas.
Fred Harvey initially employed male waiters but found their behavior to be a problem. Many came in late and hung over, and fought at work. From 1883 on, he employed only women as waitresses, calling them Harvey Girls.
