Round Top in Fayette County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Early Texas Hotels and Inns
Photographed By Gregory Walker, February 5, 2010
1. Early Texas Hotels and Inns Marker
Inscription.
Early Texas Hotels and Inns. . Two miles east, at Winedale, is the Old "Sam Lewis Stopping Place" of the 1850s--a typical early Texas inn, now a University of Texas Research Center. Built 1834, as a settler's 2-room log cabin of hand-hewn cedar; then enlarged twice and (with work of local German craftsmen) improved in style, it was home after 1848 to Lewis, his wife, eight children; also entertained guests from passing stagecoaches. It was near roads connecting major Texas cities. Many roadside homes in early Texas were inns. The horseback traveler would shelter his pony in the barn, share family meals, get a room for the night. All stage lines depended on such accommodations--for changes of horses, for passengers' meals, and for overnight stops. With travel difficult at best, such inns rendered a service of great public necessity. A frontier inn might even be a dugout, where the guests rolled up in blankets and slept on the floor. (Travelers sometimes had to sleep under a tree, so any sort of sheltering house was usually welcomed.) Most stage stops dispatched and received U.S. mail for the community. Towns originated at many stops. In early Texas, famous hotels included the Tremont, Galveston; The Old Capitol, Houston; several in Austin.
Two miles east, at Winedale, is the Old "Sam Lewis Stopping Place" of the 1850s--a typical early Texas inn, now a University of Texas Research Center. Built 1834, as a settler's 2-room log cabin of hand-hewn cedar; then enlarged twice and (with work of local German craftsmen) improved in style, it was home after 1848 to Lewis, his wife, eight children; also entertained guests from passing stagecoaches. It was near roads connecting major Texas cities. Many roadside homes in early Texas were inns. The horseback traveler would shelter his pony in the barn, share family meals, get a room for the night. All stage lines depended on such accommodations--for changes of horses, for passengers' meals, and for overnight stops. With travel difficult at best, such inns rendered a service of great public necessity. A frontier inn might even be a dugout, where the guests rolled up in blankets and slept on the floor. (Travelers sometimes had to sleep under a tree, so any sort of sheltering house was usually welcomed.) Most stage stops dispatched and received U.S. mail for the community. Towns originated at many stops. In early Texas, famous hotels included the Tremont, Galveston; The Old Capitol, Houston; several in Austin.
Erected 1967 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 5261.)
Location. 30° 3.917′ N, 96° 41.751′ W. Marker is in Round Top, Texas, in Fayette County. Marker is at the intersection of State Highway 237 and Farm to Market Road 1457, on the right when traveling north on State Highway 237. On the west side of town square in Round Top. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Round Top TX 78954, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Early Texas Hotels and Inns Marker at Round Top town square.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2010, by Gregory Walker of La Grange, Texas. This page has been viewed 981 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 7, 2010, by Gregory Walker of La Grange, Texas. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
