Artesian Hotel

Artesian Hotel. . The promoters of La Porte returned to Houston just as the church bells were tolling the New Year of 1892. A previous decision had been made to sell one hundred lots locally for $30 and this was done from the Harris County Courthouse steps on the first day of the new year. The town promoters immediately set about building a new hotel. While the well was being drilled for the hotel the first of many artesian wells came in, hence the name Artesian Hotel., The Artesian, built on the corner of 3rd and Main Street, housed the new landowners who were expected to come to the town. It was a huge frame building with 40 rooms. An annex with another 30 rooms was added shortly after it was completed. The Annex was sold to an early settler, John Beasley who moved it near Sylvan Beach and changed the name to the Beasley Hotel. It also had an out building that was used as a laundry and another building that served as living quarters for the employees. The laundry building was moved to Broadway Street; where it existed as a laundry and finally Posey's TV. The servants' quarters remained at the hotel's original location, where they still exist today, the only remnant the once magnificent old hotel., In 1899, the original promoters had financial trouble, and the main building of the Artesian Hotel was moved to what eventually became New Town (the corner of East Main and Blackwell Street). The name was changed to The Carrollton in honor of one of the new investors.