Books by
Michael Barr
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The
Pearl Hotel in Johnson
City was a mighty busy place in the early days. A lot of horse
and buggy traffic came through town. Travelers could hardly wait to
warm their tired backsides by the Pearl's fire place and sit on the
balcony in the evenings and watch the world go by.
James Polk Johnson built the Pearl in the 1880s. He first came to
the Pedernales Valley to work as a ranch hand for his uncles, Samuel
Ealy Johnson, Sr. and Jesse Thomas Johnson. When the Johnson brothers
dissolved their partnership in 1871, they sold their Blanco
County holdings to their nephew.
As soon as James Polk Johnson closed the deal he made a flying trip
to Dewitt County
and married his sweetheart, Julia Ann Moore. Her honeymoon was a romantic
wagon ride to the wilds of Blanco
County.
James Polk Johnson donated land for what would become Johnson
City. As soon as the town was up and running there was a movement
to wrestle the county seat away from the town of Blanco,
14 miles to the south. It took 12 years and some gun smoke to get
it done. |
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The
Pearl Hotel old photo
Photo
courtesy Johnson City Record Courier |
Johnson
built his 2 story, double front porched hotel at the southwest corner
of the town square. He named it after his daughter Pearl. He could
have named it after any of his children, but I guess Pearl was his
favorite.
The Pearl welcomed guests for a half century or more. A lot of travelers
experienced its hospitality.
Of course buildings, like people, age over time and not always gracefully.
Buildings need constant maintenance and don't always get it.
By the 1930s the Pearl had lost its luster. The stairs creaked and
the paint peeled. By the 1950s it was no longer suitable for overnight
lodging. Over the next 40 years it housed a lawyer's office and an
antique store among other things. At times it sat vacant.
By the year 2000 the building suffered from decades of neglect. The
walls leaned, and the porch sagged. There were ripples in the floor.
Walking through the kitchen was dangerous.
If the Pearl was going to survive it needed someone to save it from
the bulldozer. It needed someone with a sense of history. |
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West side of
Main Street in Johnson
City, Texas circa 1909:
These buildings burned circa 1920. The Bryan building was rebuilt
in stone. Most later became other businesses. The Pearl Hotel in next
block (tow story building) was not affected and became The Adams Hotel
in 1929. A. J. Casparis built a barbershop on the site where the men
are sitting in 1927. Crider's Cafe and Ford Garage were built on north
end of the block and later became The Casparis Cafe and The Davis
Chevrolet Dealership and Garage.
Click on image to enlarge
Photo
courtesy
Johnson City Record Courier |
Johnson
City, Texas (circa early 1900s)
Taken from the Pearl Hotel
Photo
courtesy Johnson City Record Courier |
Circa late 1800s
James Poke Johnson founder of Johnson
City, Texas built The Pearl Hotel in the distance named for his
daughter Pearl. He also built the stone building on the right now
the bank building.
Photo
courtesy Johnson City Record Courier |
"I
used to walk down Pecan Street to go to elementary school," Charlene
Holden Crump recalled. "I would walk right by the Pearl every day.
I thought it was a mansion."
Although Charlene's family moved away from Johnson
City when she was 13, she never lost her love for the Hill
Country. She lived in Austin,
but heart was here. "I didn't want to leave, and in a way I never
did," she said. "I always felt like coming back to Johnson
City was like coming home."
As founder and director of the Mary Lee Foundation, an Austin
non-profit that serves adults with special needs, Charlene Crump spent
her life in service to her community, so she naturally stepped up
to save an old hometown landmark. It was another way to serve.
"The Pearl was part of my childhood, so when it came on the market
in 2007 I bought it. It was in bad shape. I wanted to save it before
it was totally gone."
The process was long and tedious. As craftsmen peeled back the layers,
new discoveries came to light. Every owner left a mark that was a
part of the building's history. "To do a restoration that will accommodate
the modern generation without destroying the history of it is quite
a feat," Charlene said. "I think we did it."
Today the Pearl is a B&B that overlooks the busy town square. "The
balcony is the best place in the world to watch the Lights Spectacular
at Christmas," Charlene Crump noted.
Like the original hotel, the restored Pearl is not fancy. The building
is simple, practical and functional. Inside, the rooms are filled
with period furniture. Walking through the front door is like stepping
back 100 years.
The Pearl has long been a building with a past. Good to know it now
has a future. |
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