Anna Murphy
Early 20th Century Des Moines Woman Buys Hotel As Side Business
|
“It is true that waiting on cranky people in a hurry is about the hardest thing that a girl can do,” Anna Murphy told a reporter in 1909. Murphy, owner of the Hotel Goldstone located at 314 East Fifth Street in Des Moines, admitted she had a difficult time hiring and retaining good waitresses at her hotel restaurant. Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays. Cheryl Mullenbach is the author of non-fiction books for young people. Her work has been recognized by International Literacy Association, American Library Association, National Council for Social Studies, and FDR Presidential Library and Museum.