Tuesday, January 31, 2017

The Hexagon Hotel


Once upon a time in Minerals Wells, Texas, a man named David G. Galbraith built a hexagon-shaped hotel. Construction started on the unique building located on the 700 block of N. Oak St. in 1895 and was completed in 1897. The hexagon-shaped design was utilized to create better airflow in the days before air conditioning. Another unique feature was that the building was the first hotel in town to have electricity.



The hotel was constructed of long-leaf yellow pine with cypress siding on the exterior walls. Pegs and square nails were used to hold the place together. The roof was covered with hand-split cypress shingles. The interior walls were made of "Heart of Pine" wood. All of the stonework was done by two stone masons from England. 



The beautiful indoor staircase started at the top floor and elegantly spiraled down through the other levels. The lobby floor was covered with hexagon-shaped tan, brown and blue tiles. The sleeping rooms were also hexagon-shaped with a bath between every two rooms. 

Mrs. Meriweather, who was the daughter of David G. Galbraith, lived in the house for many years. "We have an average of 40 persons a week go through the house, almost all of them from out of town," said the charming Mrs. Meriweather. "And hundreds more stop just to see the exterior. Yet we can no longer afford to keep up the 30-room, 4-story house just so tourists can look at it." Sadly, the historic building was torn down in 1959.


Mrs. Meriweather's father was a great admirer of bees, and he modeled the old house's floor plan after a honeycomb. Each room had six sides, and most had windows facing in three directions, giving them excellent ventilation. Mr. Galbraith was a forward-thinking businessman who is credited with creating the paper clip. Here's a link to his patent: https://www.google.com/patents/US957764
It's too bad that Mr. Galbraith didn't create a foundation to protect his unusual home so that we could still enjoy it today.

When this post goes live, I'll be at the hospital having my third knee replacement surgery--yep, third. I won't be able to respond to your comments right away, but I will try to get to them once I get back home. 



Bestselling author Vickie McDonough grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams penning romance stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West. Vickie is an award-winning author of more than 40 published books and novellas, with over 1.5 million copies sold. Her novels include the fun and feisty Texas Boardinghouse Brides series, and End of the Trail, winner of the OWFI 2013 Best Fiction Novel Award. Whispers on the Prairie was a Romantic Times Recommended Inspirational Book for July 2013. Song of the Prairie won the 2015 Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Gabriel’s Atonement, book 1 in the Land Rush Dreams series placed second in the 2016 Will Rogers Medallion Award. Vickie has recently stepped into independent publishing.

Vickie has been married for forty-one years to Robert. They have four grown sons, one daughter-in-law, and a precocious granddaughter. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, antiquing, doing stained glass, watching movies, and traveling. To learn more about Vickie’s books or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com










15 comments:

  1. I would have loved to see that house. Sounds intriguing. Your third knee replacement? Ouch! Prayers for a swift recovery!!!

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    1. Connie, thank you for stopping by and commenting on Vickie's wonderful post. This hotel is amazing.

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    2. Not very intriguing really. My first knee replacement messed up and I have to have it redone. I'm glad to be home again.

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  2. That is such a neat old house. Too bad it was torn down. Isn't it cool that the architect learned from nature? Blessings and prayers for a swift recovery.

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    1. Paula, you are right this in a neat place. Thank you for stopping by.

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    2. I agree that it's a shame the hotel was torn down. I don't understand why the city didn't try to acquire it.

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  3. The Hexagon Hotel would been an interesting place to stay and roam through. Prayers for your recovery and God's healing touch.

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    1. Marilyn, thank you for stopping by and commenting on Vickie's post. You are right this would have been an interesting stay.

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    2. Thanks for your prayers, Marilyn. Surgery is over. I'm back home. Now I'm on the mend.

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  4. The image of this house is what inspired me (5 years ago) to begin working on my novel. I took one look at it and imagined all sorts of intriguing things happening there. I've changed its location and the house in my novel has morphed somewhat, but every time I see this picture, it stokes the fire in me again. I'm just beginning my writer's blog. May I link to this post?

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    1. Sure, Melinda, that would be fine. I first heard about the hotel in a Yahoo group I'm in, and it intrigued me so much I had to learn more.

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  5. What a delightful post. I'm working on a "hexagon" quilt, so the title of the post attracted me right away. Prayers for a quick recovery, Vickie.

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    1. Thanks for your prayers! I'm back home now, and on the road to recovery. I'd love to see a picture of your quilt.

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  6. Praying for a speedy recovery.
    A very unique building. Is that a staircase on the outside? Too bad it had to be torn down.

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  7. Do you know if any blue prints exist? I would like to create a 3D model in Revit and maybe 3D print also.

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