Belen Harvey House Museum
A Branch of the Belen Public Library
This web page is sponsored by the Friends of the Belen Harvey House Museum
Call us for more details
505-861-0581
The Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday
from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm
the last entry to the Museum is 4:00 PM
Our Cafe is open Thursday through Saturday
12:00 noon to 3:00 PM.
Click on postcards to enlarge.
Belen Harvey House
Belen Roller Mills built in 1884. Current City Hall building stands on this site.
Our Lady of Belen early 1900s.
Kansas Soldiers at the
Belen Harvey House in 1914.
St. Mary's Parochial School
built in 1927. Still stands today.
Welcome to my home town of Belen, New Mexico! Click on the arrow and enjoy my brief video presentation!
Main Street in the 1950s. Fiel & Ellimyer on the left.
Bird's eye view of Belen looking East. On the left is Dalies Avenue. In the center is the First National Bank taken in 1920.
Central Grade School was built circa 1900 and torn down in 1960.
County High School built in 1916 on land John Becker donated. This became the Belen High School and was destroyed by fire in 1983.
View looking West on Becker Avenue.
Belen Hotel on the right. Postmarked 1908.
Native Americans from Isleta Pueblo selling items to tourist in the 1940s.
During this difficult time, your donations really help the the Belen Harvey House Museum.
If you have enjoyed this virtual presentation, we hope you'll be
able to support us.
We thank you
in advance.
Click on postcards to enlarge.
Click on postcards to magnify.
The John Becker Store in
1877 when it was opened.
"The Pond" now Anna Becker Park. Looking Northeast from Reinken Avenue.
AT&SF Roundhouse from the 1920s.
Belen's AT&SF Rail Yard in the 1950s.
Click on postcards to enlarge.
The Belen Commercial Club & Bowling Alley. Destroyed by fire in 1955. Today the Masonic Temple is on the same site.
The John Becker Company in 1900.
The store delivery truck is in the center.
The original AT&SF Reading Room from early 1900s.
View of houses in Belen from 1908.
View of the center of Belen
in 1913 looking East.
Thank you for joining us, and I hope you have enjoyed the presentation. I have called Belen, New Mexico, my home since I was three-years-old. My Mother brought us here because she hated the tornadoes that were common in West Texas where I was born. I attended Belen Public Schools and St. Mary’s until I joined the Navy when I was 17-years-old. I have worked in various Western States in both coal and uranium mines, but always returned to my beloved hometown of Belen, New Mexico.
I started collecting vintage local postcards in 2000 when I was sidelined with health problems. After seeing an old postcard of Belen on an online auction I was hooked and I now have several hundred vintage postcards of Belen, and other places in the state of N.M.
After joining the Facebook group Belen Memories, I started sharing my collection of postcards and other photographs of Valencia County and Belen.
In March of 2017, I volunteered as the local Historian at the Belen Harvey House Museum, and as Frances Zeller said, “I’m like the fox in the hen house” since my passion is collecting historic local photographs and I now have access to the archives.
AT&SF Yard Office around 1908.
The Belen Water Tower
Erected in 1928 by the New Mexico Construction Company. Manufactured by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (CB&I). It stands 100 feet tall and holds 100,000 gallons of water. The Belen Police Department installed a red light on the very top before they had radios in the patrol cars and they could turn the light on so the officer on patrol would know to report to the station for orders.
On March 2, 2020, the water tower was placed on the Historic Landmark register. Today, the Water Tower is Belen’s iconic symbol, used to promote the City and it is a major draw for the film industry.
Jim's Fun Facts About Belen!
