Beach Hotel

The hotel went up in a town on the rise. Port Lavaca had dwindled to seventy people in 1884, but after Indianola was abandoned it grew to an estimated 800 by 1896, with two hotels and a weekly paper, the Port Lavacaen. By 1910 it had two banks, two cotton gins, a broom factory, an oyster-knife factory, an ice factory, an electric plant and a telephone company, and that year the federal government dredged a channel from Pass Cavallo. The city went bankrupt in November 1916 and incorporated again in 1919.

What the plaque says

Beach Hotel Constructed in 1904 by local merchant and real estate agent C. U. Yancy, the Beach Hotel has been a part of the Port Lavaca landscape for generations. At the time of its construction, the hotel was the tallest building in town. Tourists from San Antonio and other inland cities often rode special excursion trains to Port Lavaca to enjoy the recreational opportunities along the coast and to stay in the hotel. Traveling salesmen frequently lodged here, and the hotel's dining room was the site of numerous community social events. (1991)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• San Antonio and Mexican Gulf Railroad — steps away
• Civil War Torpedo Works — 0.2 mi
• Civil War Bombardment of Port Lavaca — 0.2 mi
• Calhoun County Participation During World War II — 0.2 mi