Drovers Cottage

Drovers Cottage. Historical Plaza Walking Tour Stop 5. , The Drovers Cottage was originally built in Abilene by Joseph McCoy. Jim and Louisa Gore ran a friendly house and the Texans felt very much at home among their fellow cattlemen at the Cottage. In 1872, two-thirds of the original hotel was moved to Ellsworth. The facility was tripled in size and a large livery was built to enhance the convenience to the incoming Cowboys. The three-story structure was equipped with 84 rooms and a dining room that seated 100. Late in February of 1873 before Fort Harker was abandoned, the boys of the Sixth Cavalry put on a play at the Cottage. The hall was crowded and everyone was pleased with the show. From the Drovers Cottage a cattleman could, at once, witness the busy business district in all its glory to the east and keep an eye on the stockyards (7) just across the tracks to the west. The Gores tried to burn the Cottage for the insurance money in 1874 and again in 1875. They were asked to leave town and returned to Abilene where they managed the smaller remnant of the original Drovers Cottage.