Stagecoach Inn of Chappell Hill

The Stagecoach Inn of Chappell Hill was constructed in 1850 by Mary Elizabeth Haller and her husband, Jacob Haller. Mary Haller, the founder of Chappell Hill, helped establish the building as one of the community's early institutions. Jacob Haller was Chappell Hill's first postmaster. The 14-room structure was built in the Greek Revival style along the route between Houston and Austin. The property initially served as a boarding house for students attending college in Chappell Hill. During this period it was called Hargrove House or Hargrove House Hotel, reflecting the Hargrove family connection. It later became a stagecoach inn as traffic on the Houston–Austin road increased. The Smith and Jones stagecoach service and, later, the F. P. Sawyers line stopped there overnight, giving the building its enduring association with stage travel in early Texas. Charlotte Hargrove operated the inn until 1859. Judge Benjamin Thomas then purchased it and continued its operation until about 1870. The inn's development took place during Chappell Hill's nineteenth-century expansion, when cotton agriculture supported local commerce and transportation. Accounts of the building's construction describe the use of cedar wood cut from nearby areas known as the Cedar breaks. After the turn of the twentieth century, the regional cotton economy weakened. The construction of highways that bypassed Chappell Hill further reduced the importance of the old road through town. Without the traffic that had sustained it, the inn declined and eventually fell into disrepair. In 1976, Houston architect Harvin C. Moore and his wife, Elizabeth, purchased the property. Moore had encountered the building during trips between Houston and Austin in the 1920s, when he was a student and a member of the Rice University band, and had long wanted to restore it. The Moores completed a restoration that preserved the historic building and enabled it to return to hospitality use. After restoration, the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For many years after the restoration, the Stagecoach Inn operated as a bed-and-breakfast. It was placed on the market in 2014. The inn's website was no longer available by late 2015, and the available historical reference does not identify a subsequent operator or confirm continued operation. The current status of the hospitality business is therefore uncertain, although the building remains an important historic landmark associated with Chappell Hill's early transportation and lodging history.

• 2014

  Property offered for sale

  [1]Stagecoach Inn of Chappell Hillen.wikipedia.org

  The inn property was put up for sale after operating for many years as a bed-and-breakfast.

• 1976

  Historic restoration begins

  [1]Stagecoach Inn of Chappell Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Harvin C. Moore and Elizabeth Moore purchased the deteriorated property and undertook its restoration.

• 1870

  End of Benjamin Thomas's operating period

  [1]Stagecoach Inn of Chappell Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Benjamin Thomas is recorded as having operated the inn until approximately this year.

• 1859

  Change of operator

  [1]Stagecoach Inn of Chappell Hillen.wikipedia.org

  After Charlotte Hargrove's period of operation, Judge Benjamin Thomas acquired and operated the inn.

• 1850

  Construction of the inn

  [1]Stagecoach Inn of Chappell Hillen.wikipedia.org

  Mary Elizabeth Haller and Jacob Haller built the 14-room Greek Revival structure in Chappell Hill along the road between Houston and Austin.

A heritage lodging property centered on its nineteenth-century Greek Revival architecture, connection to early Texas stagecoach routes, and role in the history of Chappell Hill.

• Accommodation · 1850

  Historic inn lodging

  The property's principal commercial function was overnight lodging in a nineteenth-century Greek Revival inn. Its historical role developed from student boarding house to hotel and stagecoach stop, and after the twentieth-century restoration it operated for many years as a bed-and-breakfast. The available reference material does not specify room categories, rates, dining services, or other amenities.

• Historic hospitality service

  Stagecoach stop services

  During the nineteenth century, the inn provided overnight accommodation for travelers using the road between Houston and Austin. Stagecoach services identified in historical accounts include the Smith and Jones line and the later F. P. Sawyers line. This function is historical rather than a confirmed current offering.

• 2014

  Property placed on the marketOther

  Background

  The inn had continued operating as a bed-and-breakfast for many years following its restoration.

  Action taken

  The property was offered for sale.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material does not identify a subsequent owner or confirm whether the inn continued operating under the same name.

  Source

• 1976

  Purchase and historic restorationStrategy

  Background

  The inn had deteriorated after the decline of the cotton economy and the construction of highways that bypassed Chappell Hill.

  Action taken

  Harvin C. Moore and Elizabeth Moore purchased the property and restored it for renewed hospitality use.

  Aftermath

  The restored inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and operated for many years as a bed-and-breakfast.

  Source

1. 1Stagecoach Inn of Chappell Hillen.wikipedia.org