Shady Rest Hotel Water Tower

The Shady Rest Hotel’s location is also known as "Petticoat Junction" because during the summer time, Kate’s daughters would drape their petticoats over the water town used for refueling the local train [The Cannonball] while they went swimming inside the roofless elevated structure. According to Uncle Joe [Hooterville’s fire chief], the Shady Rest Hotel is haunted by the ghost of Chester W. Farnsworth, a former hotel guest.

Other locals to visit the Shady Rest were train engineers Charley Pratt (Smiley Burnette); Floyd Smoot (Rufe Davis); and Wendell Gibbs (Bryon Foulger); local physician Dr. Barton "Doc" Stuart (Regis Toomey), and later Dr. Janet Craig (June Lockhart); crop dusting pilot, Steve Elliot-Betty Jo's boyfriend; grocery store owner, Sam Drucker (Frank Cady); game warden, Orrin Pike (Jonathan Daly) and Kate's arch-rival Selma Plout (Virginia Sale/Elvia Allman).

Newcomers to the town of Hooterville included transplanted New Yorkers Oliver Wendell Douglas (Eddie Albert) and his wife, Lisa (Eve Gabor) who purchased a dilapidated farm located four miles outside the town of Hooterville called "Green Acres." Oliver purchased the farm sight unseen and discovered to his dismay a farm filled with clutter, broken boards, fallow fields, and a telephone mounted on top of the telephone pole. But despite the drawbacks, Oliver decided to stick it out and make the farm a success.

The Cannonball and Citizens of Hooterville

Most of the time, Hooterville is a quiet little town, but there was one thing that always gets people shaking in their boots. That was the Curse of Molly Turgiss. It seems long ago (c.1822) a woman named Molly Turgiss lived in Hooterville. As she grew up none of the children would play with her because she was so ugly. Townspeople shunned her and she never had a boyfriend. She was, however, popular with the dogs because she was shaped like a dog biscuit.

Eventually, Molly left town ("She was uglied out of town") but swore that she would return one day to haunt them all. Her threat came true and now the ghost of Molly Turgiss roamed the countryside, physically tormenting (throwing objects, stealing cars, etc.) anyone who would dare mention her name. On the wall of Sam Drucker's General Store sat a sign with the message "Checker Players: No discussing Politics, Religion and You Know Who"

As Mr. Douglas further investigated the legend he was kicked, pummeled and generally taunted by the spirit of Molly. When local conman and salesman Mr. Haney mentioned her name, the ghost of Molly drove his truck to the town of Pixley and parked it in front of a fire hydrant.

While the townsfolk were afraid of Molly, Lisa Douglas sympathized with Molly's plight and offered her help. "There's nothing to be sad about. You're only as ugly as you look," Lisa said. With a few kind words and a couple of jars of cold cream, Lisa transformed Molly's vindictive ways.

Now happy, Molly promised to stop haunting the people in Hooterville. But not before smashing the guitar of Mr. Douglas because he sang a folk song about the Molly Turgiss legend that contained the uncomplimentary repetitive hook line about Molly "By golly as ugly as sin."

See also FARMS & RANCHES: "The Douglas Farm" and TRAINS: "The Cannonball"

External Links

• Petticoat Junction (IMDb)

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