Thursday, July 13, 2006

Queen Isabel Inn (Port Isabel)

Queen Isabel Inn

Queen Isabel Inn
One place we stayed during our visit to south Texas was the Queen Isabel Inn, a Texas historic landmark. Our room was comfortable with plenty of amenities. It had a DVD player, and you could borrow DVDs from the Inn's collection. The bathroom was stocked with almost every item you could have possibly forgotten from home. The full kitchen also had everything you needed, except for food, which could be found at the huge HEB in town. Eating breakfast at the room saved us time and money. The most surprising thing to me was that this 100-year-old Inn had wireless internet access; this was definitely a plus.

The atmosphere of the place was laid back, and the owner John Haywood was very friendly. Originally from Brownsville, he purchased the Inn in 1978. As you would guess, he's very knowledgeable of the area. He seemed to enjoy talking to guests, and seemed very concerned whether we were having a good time (we were).

When the Queen Isabel Inn opened in 1906 it was called the Point Isabel Tarpon and Fishing Club. It was located adjacent to a Rio Grande Railroad depot. The Rio Grande was a 22.5 mile (36.2 km) track that opened in 1872 and connected Point Isabel to Brownsville. (Note: The depot is no longer there, but the city does have plans on building a Rio Grande Railroad Park, which would include a pavilion modeled after the original depot.)

The Inn was the beginning of the hotel and tourism industry that would later define the area. Recently, the Queen Isabel Inn received the Texas Treasure Business Award from the Texas Historical Commission for its active community involvement over the last 100 years.

Links:
  • One of the most famous visitors to the Inn was President-elect Warren G. Harding. In November 1920, before his inauguration, Harding visited Republican party leader Rene Creager at his home in Brownsville. Later, Harding went fishing around Point Isabel. See photo of Harding fishing at Brazos Santiago.

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