During the summer of 2023, the drought had a noticeable impact on the Hotel's iconic windswept tree. For weeks volunteers gathered on Tuesday and Friday evenings, bringing their jugs to water the tree. The tree was saved along with the Hotel! — — Map (db m293916) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
So, here is a photo of the Battleship Texas commemorating 20th century Texas soldiers, in front of the San Jacinto Monument commemorating the Battle of San Jacinto (1836), where the Texas Revolution was won. Robert Rankin, Mrs. Callaway's great, . . . — — Map (db m293907) HM
On Ashley Cemetery Road (County Road 355) at Farm to Market Road 1095, on the right when traveling east on Ashley Cemetery Road.
William Erastus Moore, a New Jersey native, settled in Indianola in the 1850s. After serving with Terry's Texas Rangers in the Civil War, he returned to settle on land northeast of Blessing and named the surrounding agricultural community in . . . — — Map (db m293289) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
A place for new citizens of Palacios to stay was essential, so the Townsite Company quickly set aside a piece of land on East Bay to build a hotel. Built in 1903, the Bay View Hotel quickly became an essential stop for new Palacios residents. It . . . — — Map (db m293827) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
The original hotel made up the center section of the new one, with the addition of giant wings; separated by covered, open-air walkways. A 400 foot porch was added along the front and sides of the building, which became known as "The Longest Porch . . . — — Map (db m293833) HM
Near South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling west.
In 1910, the Hotel owners deeded the Box Bowling Alley building on the northeast corner of the property to 12 women who formed the first library in Palacios. It remained the town's library until it was sadly destroyed by Hurricane Carla in 1961. — — Map (db m293840) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
The goal was to attract people from the North to settle here to grow rice and citrus fruit. The founding fathers advertised that the bay waters had healing powers and claimed that there were no mosquitos! Enticing the railroad to come to Palacios . . . — — Map (db m293828) HM
In November 2022, Preservation Texas issued an alert calling the Luther Hotel, "The Most Endangered Building in Texas." Jack Findley died without a will and his estate was selling the land to a charitable foundation. The contract required that the . . . — — Map (db m293913) HM
On Morton Avenue at 9th Street, on the right when traveling west on Morton Avenue.
First Methodist Church of Palacios founded Casa de Dios as a mission to Spanish-speaking people in 1912. Maria de los Santos donated the land. First Methodist and First Presbyterian worked together to enhance the success of the mission in the . . . — — Map (db m293314) HM
On South Bay Boulevard at 5th Street, on the right when traveling west on South Bay Boulevard.
John T. and Opal Cates Price arrived in Palacios in 1906 and were soon joined by Opal's parents, Reuben and Lula Cates. They purchased adjoining lots, and by 1910 Architect Winn Wood had designed companion homes for the two couples. The Prices . . . — — Map (db m293313) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
The Luthers owned the Hotel from 1936 until the end of their lives and were very active in politics and in the community. "Charlie" served in the Army during World War I in France. He was chairman of the Seawall Commission and mayor of Palacios. He . . . — — Map (db m293844) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
Claire Joy was the Luthers' daughter. After her first husband died, she signed up for dance lessons at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in San Antonio and Jack Findley was her instructor. They married in 1993. She inherited the hotel from her . . . — — Map (db m293912) HM
At the end of January 2024, the new administrator of the Findley estate allowed the Palacios Preservation Association to act as local caretakers of the Hotel and clean it up. Floors were strewn with trash and broken glass. The first floor was . . . — — Map (db m293919) HM
In September 2023, after months of protesting, the contract to demolish expired and was not renewed. Nick Herman's original partners were no longer available, but he found new ones and submitted another offer to keep the property off the market, to . . . — — Map (db m293917) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
Charles' sister, Nellie Luther (1901-1961) was a woman of remarkable dedication. She was a junior high school teacher and sometimes managed the Hotel. She spent the night that Hurricane Carla hit in 1961, alone in the Hotel in the only bathtub in . . . — — Map (db m293901) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
The only fire in the Hotel occurred on February 27, 1944. It burned part of the third floor of the middle section and the east wing. It required both the Palacios and Camp Hulen fire departments to extinguish the blaze. Mr. Luther immediately . . . — — Map (db m293905) HM
On 2nd Street at Welch Avenue, on the left when traveling north on 2nd Street.
The Rev. William H. Travis formed a school and Missionary Baptist Church in Palacios in 1905. That year, the congregation became known as First Baptist Church. In 1906, the Texas Baptist Convention chose Palacios as the site for its Baptist . . . — — Map (db m169007) HM
On 3rd Street at East Morton Avenue, on the right when traveling south on 3rd Street.
The First Presbyterian Church of Palacios was organized by the Rev. W.S. Red on June 30, 1907, in the local Methodist Church Pioneer Hall. Eighteen people joined the congregation that day, many of them active in the early growth of Palacios . . . — — Map (db m169013) HM
On Lucas Avenue at 3rd Street, on the left when traveling west on Lucas Avenue.
Matagorda County was organized in 1837, and two years later area residents established the Matagorda Methodist Church. Decades later, in 1903, a group of people met in a one-room schoolhouse and organized the First Methodist Church of Palacios. . . . — — Map (db m169014) HM
On Main Street (State Highway 35) at Marine Center Drive (County Highway 321), on the left when traveling north on Main Street.
Missourian John Augustus Hulen (1871-1957), citizen soldier and railroad executive, came to Texas with his family in the 1870s. He later attended Virginia's Staunton Military Academy and returned to Texas. He joined a militia unit and later served . . . — — Map (db m168846) HM
On South Bay Boulevard at 4th Street, on the left when traveling west on South Bay Boulevard.
In 1904 the Palacois City Townsite Company erected the first pavilion. Jules Leffland of Victoria was the architect, and the pavilion was constructed under the supervision of contractors Hatchett and White of Bay City. A roof covered the open air . . . — — Map (db m168999) HM
On Farm to Market Road 521 0.3 miles west of Ramsey Road, on the left when traveling west.
A member of the 1829 colony of Stephen F. Austin, and one of organizers of Tres Palacios Baptist Church. Homesite is land given him for service in army of the Republic of Texas. House was built, 1850's, by shipwright. Recorded Texas . . . — — Map (db m293291) HM
From the Alabama branch of the village came DeeDee Debter, one of the thirty-some heirs to Jack Findley's estate, bravely stepping forward to say that she knew that Jack wanted the hotel to survive. It was a major turning point in the case. — — Map (db m293918) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
This exhibit is our local part of Museum on Main Street, a project of the Smithsonian Institution and the Texas Historical Commission in partnership with Rockport Cultural Arts District. The Smithsonian exhibit, Crossroads: Change in Rural America, . . . — — Map (db m293823) HM
Did Super Heroes or Two Little Old Ladies Save the Hotel? Neither! It took a village! There were over 4,000 signatures on paper and online petitions, including people from all 50 states and 30 countries! Seven volunteer lawyers and as many . . . — — Map (db m293920) HM
On 3rd Street at Main Street (State Highway 35), on the right when traveling north on 3rd Street.
Semper Fidelis
In Memory of
Kerry Duane Dale
1st Lt. U.S. Marine Corps.
Jan. 22, 1962 - July 13, 1988 "...And put out my hand
and touched the face of god" — — Map (db m177203) WM
History is being preserved not just for old-times-sake, but for the continued growth of the community in which a working historic hotel can once again be a major influence. The end of this story is a new beginning for Lady Luther to re-establish . . . — — Map (db m293924) HM
On East Bay Boulevard at East Main Street, on the right when traveling north on East Bay Boulevard.
The reconstruction of the East Bay Pier as a result of Hurricane Harvey (2017) was made possible by a grant from the Lions Club International Foundation, Palacios Lions Club and all the Texas Lions. This pier will also be known as the "Lions Pier", . . . — — Map (db m186765) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
Elsie Luther was a childhood friend of Lyndon Johnson's and her mother, May Callaway, was his Sunday school teacher. They kept in touch with him throughout their lives. In 1945, Mrs. Callaway wrote to then-Representative Johnson asking that when a . . . — — Map (db m293906) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
Camp Palacios was established just west of town as a Texas National Guard Camp in 1925. During World War II it was transformed into an army base and renamed after its beloved General John A. Hulen. During the 40's the city's population was . . . — — Map (db m293902) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
In the mid-1990s, Palacios became the base for marine archeologists who discovered and excavated La Salle's ship La Belle, which sank in nearby waters in 1686. Not only is this shipwreck noteworthy because it belonged to LaSalle, a famous explorer, . . . — — Map (db m293910) HM
At the end of December 2022, Nick Herman, whose father met his mother when stationed at Camp Hulen during WWII, heard our "Save the Luther" plea on The Texas Standard radio broadcast. He made a higher counteroffer to buy the Hotel to restore it, . . . — — Map (db m293914) HM
On South Bay Boulevard at 4th Street, on the right when traveling west on South Bay Boulevard. Reported missing.
Built 1903, East Bay Front. Moved 1905 to present site. Enlarged. A resort for investors from north, buying orchards, land on coast. Had famed dining room, permanent orchestra.
Has withstood many hurricanes, including 1961's "Carla". . . . — — Map (db m293308) HM
In 1905, just two years after it was completed, the Hotel was already too small. Leffland was building a pleasure pier around the corner on South Bay. So, they cut the Hotel into three pieces, hitched it to a mule team and moved it a half mile . . . — — Map (db m293829) HM
On 12th Street (County Highway 317) at Collins Drive (County Highway 300), on the right when traveling south on 12th Street.
The primary burial ground for citizens of Palacios, this cemetery dates to the beginnings of the community. The death of Alice Singer in 1905, three years after the founding of Palacios, gave rise to the need for a community cemetery.
The land, . . . — — Map (db m168652) HM
On 8th Street at Johnson Avenue, on the left when traveling north on 8th Street.
Founded in the 1920s, the Palacios Colored School was the first African American School in the city. Because of Jim Crow laws which institutionalized segregation, African Americans attended separate schools from white students. After moving twice, . . . — — Map (db m169059) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
Birds are counted all across the country each year during the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Since we began in 1992, Matagorda County has regularly recorded more species than anywhere else in the country. While it's not a competition, we almost . . . — — Map (db m293911) HM
On South Bay Boulevard at 4th Street on South Bay Boulevard.
In 1903 the Palacios townsite company arranged with the Southern Pacific Railroad to extend its line to the new city. The first train arrived on June 29, bringing prospective settlers from Midwestern states. The company began construction of a . . . — — Map (db m169049) HM
On East Bay Boulevard 0.1 miles north of East Main Street, on the right when traveling south.
Opened in 1910, the Palacios Preparatory School was located at this site, behind the family home of its founder, Martha Pearl Dickson McGuire (1876-1962), and her family. Music instruction was given in upstairs rooms of the home. It was the first . . . — — Map (db m169005) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
Construction of the pavilion began in June 1904. It became the social center of the town, offering such activities as swimming, dancing, skating, and basketball. It was damaged by several hurricanes and razed in 1935. In the same year it was . . . — — Map (db m293831) HM
On South Bay Boulevard at 4th Street, on the left when traveling east on South Bay Boulevard.
In 1901, the Palacios City Townsite Company began selling lots for the new "City by the Sea," laid out along Tres Palacios Bay. Three years later, the New York, Texas & Mexican Railway built a line into town, and within ten years Palacios was the . . . — — Map (db m168970) HM
On Main Street (State Highway 35) west of 2nd Street, on the right when traveling west.
In 1915, builder Joseph Pybus erected this home, designed by C.F. Emmons. James L. and Ina Mae (Perryman) Koerber bought it from the Pybus family in 1924. Owner of the Palacios Garage and Auto Co., J.L. also served as mayor, 1948-52. Other . . . — — Map (db m293292) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
Hayworth was a major movie star in the 1940s, a pin-up girl for military servicemen, and a beauty icon for women. A quote from Charles and Elsie's son "Buddy" Luther's obituary in 2014: "A memory Charles cherished was of waiting at the foot of . . . — — Map (db m293904) HM
On Commerce Street at 4th Street, on the left when traveling west on Commerce Street.
Robert J. (1864-1930) and Kate Elizabeth (Breggan) Hill came to Palacios in 1904, soon after its founding. Contractor J.G. Bontrager built this concrete block commercial building for them in 1910. It originally housed a mercantile store with . . . — — Map (db m168969) HM
On East Main Street (State Highway 35) at 3rd Street, on the right when traveling west on East Main Street.
The community of Collegeport was founded in 1908 across the Tres Palacios Bay from Palacios, which had been established in 1902. Three Collegeport families organized an Episcopal congregation. Grace Theodora Smith collected donations from local . . . — — Map (db m169016) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
There was a young African American man named Rueben, reportedly the only Negro in town. He was employed as a porter at the Hotel in the 1910's. One night the Ku Klux Klan came after him there, but they were chased away by a person who recognized . . . — — Map (db m293835) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
Abel Head "Shanghai" Pierce (1834-1900), born in Rhode Island, stowed away on a schooner headed to Indianola in 1854. He amassed 250,000 acres of ranch land in Matagorda and Wharton counties. Pierce discovered that Brahman cattle from India . . . — — Map (db m293826) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
The Luther Hotel in Palacios, Texas, is one of the few remaining wooden seaside resort hotels on the Gulf Coast from the turn of the last century. It became a Texas Landmark in 1965 and earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in . . . — — Map (db m293821) HM
On Main Street (State Highway 35) at Marine Center Drive (County Highway 321), on the left when traveling north on Main Street.
Camp Palacios was established on this site in 1925 as the summer training camp for the Texas National Guard's 36th Division, which had formed during World War I as the 36th Infantry. The division, which became the 36th Infantry Division during . . . — — Map (db m168809) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
This string of lights was found LIT with no batteries in a pile of stuff in the Hotel, after the building had been closed for two years! Several people have reported the sounds of a little boy playing in the night running up and down the stairs. . . . — — Map (db m293909) HM
At the end of June 2024, J.P. Bryan received four phone calls about the Hotel within a few days of each other from people he knew who had been supporting the Save the Luther campaign. A couple of days later he joined the PPA on a Zoom call. He . . . — — Map (db m293921) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
The Luther hosted several famous entertainers who came to lift the spirits of the troops during WWII. Among these illustrious visitors were USO performers Rita Hayworth, Carole Landis, Artie Shaw, Guy Lombardo and Victor Mature. In the 40s and 50s, . . . — — Map (db m293903) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
A fascinating guest was Charlie Siringo (1855-1928), born in Matagorda County, who had worked for Shanghai Pierce when he was young. He was a cowboy-turned detective, lawman, bounty hunter, agent for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency and an . . . — — Map (db m293837) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
During World War I, Joseph Reynolds, the proprietor of the Hotel, invited the Red Cross ladies to use hotel space regularly to roll badges. They also made Christmas packages for our soldiers serving in France. — — Map (db m293839) HM
On 1st Street at Duson Avenue, on the left when traveling south on 1st Street.
Selected in 1906 by the Texas Baptist convention as the site for a permanent encampment grounds, this coastal area was the scene of many inspirational camp meetings typical of Texas and the entire south in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In . . . — — Map (db m169004) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
The Hotel was purchased by Charles and Elsie Luther in 1936. They undertook a major renovation, including a reconfiguration of the rooms to accommodate military families of soldiers stationed at nearby Camp Hulen. They removed the longest porch and . . . — — Map (db m293843) HM
The estate closed the Hotel on very short notice on August 31, 2022, after city code inspections implied that it should be shut down and to prepare for demolition. In October, the estate granted access to the City by the Sea Museum to rescue items . . . — — Map (db m293915) HM
On Commerce Street at 5th Street, on the right when traveling west on Commerce Street.
William Conrad “Billy” (W.C.) Williams was born in Matagorda County on February 20, 1854, to John Aaron Williams (1816 - 1865) and Catharine Elizabeth (Franz) Williams (1827 - 1914). John was a ships carpenter from Denmark. Catharine, . . . — — Map (db m169053) HM
On Morton Avenue at 9th Street, on the right when traveling west on Morton Avenue.
The first public schooling for Mexican American students in Palacios dates to 1923, when a single room was set aside for them to receive an education. For first through third grades, most students with a Hispanic surname would be taught in this . . . — — Map (db m293315) HM
The general plan is to take the hotel back to the early 20th century, after it was moved, and rebuild the "Longest Porch in Texas." Photo caption - Architect's rendering of restored hotel As soon as it was purchased, teams of architects, . . . — — Map (db m293922) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the left when traveling east.
This area was once home to the Karankawa, a nomadic tribe known for their tall stature, strength, and ingenuity. They migrated seasonally between the mainland and the barrier islands in their dug-out canoes and were renowned for their bows, said to . . . — — Map (db m293825) HM
On South Bay Boulevard west of 4th Street, on the right when traveling south.
Carla, a category 5 hurricane, hit Palacios on September 3, 1961. The Hotel weathered the storm well, but the Round House pavilion across the road was totally destroyed. The Palacios Beacon reported that Mr. Luther believed, "The avenue of palms . . . — — Map (db m293908) HM
