It’s possible to capture the romance of traversing the country by rail without ever leaving the station: book a stay in a hotel built in the golden age of train travel.
The city of Palestine owes much of its existence to the railroad. The International Railroad and the Houston and Great Northern Railroad converged in the town in the late 1870s. The community features about 1,800 historical markers and buildings, many from rail’s heyday—and The Redlands Hotel is at the center of that history. Constructed downtown in 1914, the five-story brick building was a popular high-end hotel until the economic downturn that accompanied World War I. After serving as railroad company offices for nearly 40 years, the building stood empty for about 20 years until Jean Mollard and her late husband purchased it in 1976 from the city of Palestine. They agreed to bring it back to life, starting with shops on the ground floor and slowly adding residential rooms.
Enjoying this article?Since then, Mollard has completely renovated the hotel, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. “Because it stopped in time in 1955, we didn’t damage the historic fabric of the hotel,” Mollard says. “We kept it first class.”
The hotel features 20 spacious suites with kitchenettes. The front balcony is open to all guests and provides a view of downtown and the railyard a couple of blocks away. Many historical details can be found throughout the lodging, including the original staircase, hexagonal floor tiling, and displays of Palestine’s frontier railroad history with black-and-white photos and train memorabilia. Though not operational, the hotel’s original elevator is used for guest photo ops.
The on-site casual fine dining restaurant Queen St. Grille is open seven days a week with brunch on the weekends. Chef Marshall Lamb, whose family is from the area, cooks up everything from a 20-ounce porterhouse steak to shrimp and grits. Rooms start at $179/night. theredlandshotel.com
1 / Holland Hotel, Alpine
A mere block from an active Amtrak depot, the Holland Hotel was expanded and revamped in the Spanish Revival style in 1928 by celebrated architect Henry Trost. The 27 rooms have Southwestern décor, pressed-tin ceilings, and original lamps and other fixtures. Rooms start at $109/night.
thehollandhoteltexas.com
2 / Slaton Harvey House, Slaton
Originally built as an eating house for railroad passengers, the hotel was saved from demolition by a group of locals who raised over $2 million for restoration. A state historic site, it now operates as a bed-and-breakfast, event center, and railroad museum. Rooms start at $135/night.
slatonharveyhouse.com
3 / Dabbs Hotel, Llano
While the extension of the Austin and Northwestern Railroad no longer runs to Llano, the tracks remain and they end at the Llano River, revealing the Dabbs Hotel. The recently renovated hotel, originally built for railroad workers, is a white two-story bed-and-breakfast with seven rooms and an enclosed sleeping porch. Rooms start at $180/night.
dabbshotel.com
