Jefferson's The Excelsior House

The Excelsior House is the remarkably restored centerpiece of Jefferson, a town sometimes called the "Williamsburg of Texas." Built in the 1850s by riverboat captain William Perry, the historic hotel has remained in continuous operation since then, although by the middle of this century, the brick-and-timber structure had slowly deteriorated and was largely forgotten.

Its rebirth began in 1954, when Estella Fonville Peters purchased the inn and undertook its renovation. Opening the building to public tours, filling the drawing room with the music of noted orchestras, and hosting elaborate balls, she revived interest in the hotel---and, in the process, sowed the seeds of Jefferson's commercial future. The Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club bought the hotel when Peters died in 1961 and has maintained and operated the facility with care ever since. The club has also made significant improvements, such as adding bathrooms and tearing down walls between the tiny rooms once consigned to traveling salesmen.

With iron columns and a lacy ironwork gallery that lend flourish to the simple rectangular edifice, the Excelsior House looks like it came to the Wild West by way of New Orleans. The ballroom features a French chandelier, Oriental rugs, antique marble mantles, and a pair of period pianos. The dining room includes a glassed-in patio, where guests can enjoy a Plantation Breakfast of orange blossom muffins, country ham, scrambled eggs, and biscuits.

Each of the inn's 13 guest rooms and suites has a story to tell. Past guests have included William Vanderbilt and Oscar Wilde; both Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes slept in what is now the Presidential Suite. Lady Bird Johnson was a frequent visitor and donated a good deal of the furniture in the room that bears her name. All the rooms are furnished with antiques, including marble-topped dressers, spool beds, and mahogany, cherry, and maple pieces.

Spurned railroad tycoon Jay Gould had predicted doom for Jefferson in the Excelsior House lobby in the 1870s, so it's fitting revenge that one of the hotel's most popular rooms is named after him. Across the street from the hotel, "Atalanta," Gould's decadently ornate private railroad car, is open to public tours.

For More Information: visit www.theexcelsiorhouse.com/

Related page: Jefferson, Texas Index

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