Landmark Inn State Historic Site
Encyclopedia
The Landmark Inn State Historic Site is a historic inn
in Castroville, Texas
, United States
.
In 1839, Cesar Monod, a Swiss
immigrant, arrived in Indianola, Texas
He settled on two lots in Castroville along the Medina River
. In 1849, he constructed a limestone
building that he used as his residence and business, a general store
.
John Vance purchased the property in 1853, and began to rent rooms to travelers along the busy San Antonio
- El Paso
road that Castroville was located on. Vance added a second story to Monod's original building to accommodate more guests.
In 1854, Vance sold the riverfront of his property to George Haass and Laurent Quintle. They built a dam
on the river and constructed a water powered grist mill to mill grain for the local farmer
s. Joseph Courand bought the mill in 1876 and his son purchased the hotel in 1899. Courand used the water power to also mill lumber
and gin
cotton
.
Jordan Lawler bought the entire property in 1925 and converted the mill to a hydroelectric plant and provided Castroville with electricity for the first time. He and his sister reopened the hotel as the Landmark Inn.
In 1974, the property was donated to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
that operated the complex as the Landmark Inn State Historical Park. On January 1, 2008, operational control of this site was transferred from Texas Parks and Wildlife to the Texas Historical Commission
. The hotel portion of the complex still rents rooms and is known as Landmark Inn Bed and Breakfast.
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
in Castroville, Texas
Castroville, Texas
Castroville is a city in Medina County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,664 at the 2000 census. Prior to 1893, Castroville was the first county seat of Medina County....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1839, Cesar Monod, a Swiss
Swiss (people)
The Swiss are citizens or natives of Switzerland. The demonym derives from the toponym of Schwyz and has been in widespread use to refer to the Old Swiss Confederacy since the 16th century....
immigrant, arrived in Indianola, Texas
Indianola, Texas
Indianola is a ghost town located on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The community, once the county seat of Calhoun County, is a part of the Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1875, the city had a population of 5,000, but on September 15 of that year, a...
He settled on two lots in Castroville along the Medina River
Medina River
The Medina River is located in south central Texas, USA, in the Medina Valley. Named after Pedro Medina, a Spanish engineer, by Alonso de León, Spanish governor of Coahuila, New Spain in 1689. It was also known as the Rio Mariano, Rio San Jose, or Rio de Bagres...
. In 1849, he constructed a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
building that he used as his residence and business, a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
.
John Vance purchased the property in 1853, and began to rent rooms to travelers along the busy San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
- El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
road that Castroville was located on. Vance added a second story to Monod's original building to accommodate more guests.
In 1854, Vance sold the riverfront of his property to George Haass and Laurent Quintle. They built a dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
on the river and constructed a water powered grist mill to mill grain for the local farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s. Joseph Courand bought the mill in 1876 and his son purchased the hotel in 1899. Courand used the water power to also mill lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
and gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
.
Jordan Lawler bought the entire property in 1925 and converted the mill to a hydroelectric plant and provided Castroville with electricity for the first time. He and his sister reopened the hotel as the Landmark Inn.
In 1974, the property was donated to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas...
that operated the complex as the Landmark Inn State Historical Park. On January 1, 2008, operational control of this site was transferred from Texas Parks and Wildlife to the Texas Historical Commission
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas....
. The hotel portion of the complex still rents rooms and is known as Landmark Inn Bed and Breakfast.