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Menger Hotel
in 1905
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
There's
a reason why they made the movie Grand Hotel and why writers use hotels
as backdrops for everything from murders, assassinations and political
conventions (sometimes the same thing) to more innocent and mundane
events like honeymoons, anniversaries and family reunions. It's because
hotels are more than a neutral ground - they're where we live when
we're not at home. You've got to admit it beats staying with relatives.
San Antonio has
long been Texas' number one tourist attraction. It's a colorful town
in a colorful state and the Menger Hotel has always been worthy to
play host to some of San
Antonio's most colorful visitors. |
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The book is conveniently
divided into two parts: Part one contains 11 chapters dealing with
the history and the second part has seven chapters dealing with the
guests (and staff) that haven't yet checked out.
The Menger is the oldest Hotel west of the Mississippi that has been
in continual operation. Starting as a modest boarding house operated
by an immigrant cooper and his equally hard-working wife, it has changed
hands surprisingly few times. Each change of ownership is given it's
own chapter of the book. |
Menger Hotel
Colonnade and Alamo Plaza
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
Notable Guests
There's a chapter
devoted to "historic and interesting trivialities" and one given to
"notable guests". Another chapter contains Hotel recipes and some
of the historic menus that are pretty hard to believe for such seemingly
primitive times. Scattered through the pages are stories of how the
bakery chef became the founder of Richter Bakery and Buttercrust Bread
and how hunters would exchange venison or even bear for lodging.
Resident guests included Richard King, founder of the King Ranch,
Pola Negri, silent film star, Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who designed
and started Mount Rushmore and Adina
De Zavala, the woman responsible for saving the Alamo.
Borglum, the sculptor actually carved statues in the courtyard of
the hotel and at one time the pool area contained tropical flora and
fauna that included alligators.
Military men were quite fond of the Menger and famous guests included
Phil Sheridan, Wm. Sherman, Robert E. Lee, John Pershing, George Patton,
Leonard Wood, Jimmy Doolittle, Tommy Thompson and William Simpson.
One lowly enlisted man stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in the 1950s deserves
mentioning. His name was Shearn Moody Jr. and he found that soldiers
who owned property in San
Antonio could live "off-post." He told his company commander that
he wanted to live at the Menger Hotel and the Captain patiently explained
to him that he'd have to own the hotel if he wanted to live there.
Specialist 4th Class Moody patiently explained to the Captain that
that was the case.
Civilian notables included Oscar Wilde, O. Henry, Sidney Lanier and
Frances Parkinson Keyes. Carry (also spelled Carrie) Nation visited
the Menger and of course we all know that Col. Theodore Roosevelt
recruited his "Rough Riders" from his HQ in the Menger Bar.
Presidents included Ulysses S. Grant, Benjamin Harrison, "Teddy" Roosevelt,
"Woody" Wilson and "Dwighty" Eisenhower. |
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The Menger Hotel
1905 Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
Notable Ghosts
The ghosts range
from Sallie White, of the housekeeping staff, to Richard King himself.
There's a ghost for nearly each era, including a Spaniard, a Confederate
Officer, a man in buckskin and one in a top hat.
Ghosts without stories include chambermaid ghosts that are felt smoothing
down beds with guests still in them, ghosts that are smoking cigars
(in non-smoking rooms!), and polite ghosts that say, "Pardon me" when
they pass. Some ghosts are seen and not heard and some are heard but
not seen like the persistent woman with the quavering voice who wanted
room service. Her repeated and demanding calls came from an unoccupied
part of the hotel - from a room that had been closed for years.
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Alamo Plaza showing
Menger Hotel's proximity to the Alamo
1915 Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/%7Etxpstcrd/ |
Like in most
of her books, Docia Schultz Williams includes some of her poetry.
Call us old-fashioned, but we like her poems. For one thing, they
actually rhyme.
It's hard to find a book
with such entertaining stories encompassing such a variety of personalities.
It's certainly a good gift book
for people who enjoy history,
non-fiction, ghost stories,
hotels,
personalities,
Texas, San
Antonio or any combination thereof.
© John
Troesser
First published October, 2000 |
The Menger Hotel
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
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