Beach Hotel

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Beach Hotel in Calhoun County. Now, every good story needs a place worth telling about, and this one starts in 1904, when a local merchant and real estate agent by the name of C. U.

Yancy decided Port Lavaca needed something to look up to. Literally. When Yancy finished constructing the Beach Hotel, it was the tallest building in town.

You want to talk about making a statement, there it stood, rising above everything else on the Port Lavaca landscape. And it has been part of that landscape ever since, for generations running. Now, the folks who came to stay weren't just wandering in off the road.

Tourists from San Antonio and other inland cities rode special excursion trains out to Port Lavaca, drawn by the recreational opportunities along the coast, and by the promise of a roof over their heads that happened to be the finest one around. Traveling salesmen made it their regular stop too, a familiar bunk between long hauls. And if you happened to find yourself in the dining room on the right evening, well, that room hosted community social events that brought the whole town together under one roof, the tallest roof in town, naturally.

C. U. Yancy built more than a hotel in 1904.

He built the place where Port Lavaca gathered, celebrated, and looked up.

What the marker says

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)