Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Price Hotel, Magnolia House, and Arnold-Simonton House

When Houston traveled
Homes they would share
Your job is to find
The location of the hotel and two houses somewhere.

Answer:  The Price Hotel, the Magnolia House, and the Arnold-Simonton House

The three places that Sam Houston occasionally stayed on his trips to Montgomery were the Price Hotel, the Magnolia House, and the Arnold-Simonton House.

The Price Hotel was built in 1858 by a local doctor named Dr. J.H. Price.  This hotel was a resting place for stage coaches during their trips.  It provided a place for the horses to be rested and fed or new horses to be hitched to the coach.  Artifacts from this era are still found at the site today (Jim's Hardware).

The Magnolia House located at 801 College Street was built in 1854 by John Shelton for the Peter Willis family.  It was named after their first born daughter.  The fully furnished house was purchased by Ilai C. Davis in 1868 and is still owned by his descendants.  The current owner is the only other child born in this house.

The Arnold-Simonton House was built in 1845 by Dr. E.J. Arnold.  It was a typical cottage with dentil trim, wide hall, and wainscoting. The home gifted to the Montgomery Historical Society from the Simonton family and now sits within the Fernland Historical Park.  A replica of the Old Town Montgomery is available for viewing within this house.


Picture of the Original "Price Hotel" which once stood where Jim's Hardware is now located

Artifacts found at the site of the Price Hotel

The Magnolia House

Historical Marker at the Magnolia House


The Arnold-Simonton Home located in Fernland

Gus made friends over at Jim's Hardware!  He didn't stay long though - he's out nosing around for more history!  Mr. Gary at Jim's Hardware gave me the next riddle - let's see if we can sniff out where Gus-man ventured off to now!