Hotel Blessing

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, in my own words. Back in 1906, somebody put up a hotel on the Texas Gulf Coast, and they did not name it by accident. The Hotel Blessing, in Matagorda County, was built to serve landseekers, folks coming in looking for a piece of this coastal country to call their own.

But it was more than just a place to hang a hat for passing strangers. It also served as a family home for two of the prominent developers behind the whole enterprise, Jonathan E. Pierce and his son, Abel B.

Pierce. Father and son, putting down roots in the very building they helped bring into existence. Now, the name.

The town and the hotel both carry the name Blessing, and the marker is clear on where that came from. It was named out of gratitude. Gratitude for the era of railroads and Gulf Coast development that made the whole thing possible.

Think about that for a second. Most towns get named after a person, or a river, or something somebody saw on a Tuesday. This one got named out of thankfulness.

Out of the feeling that something good had arrived, that the railroad and the coast and the moment had all lined up just right. Built in 1906, the Hotel Blessing has stood as a reminder that sometimes people look around at what's been given to them and decide to say so out loud, in brick and mortar, right there on the map.

What the marker says

Built 1906 for landseekers, as well as a family home for prominent developers, Jonathan E. Pierce and son, Abel B. Pierce. Town and hotel were named out of gratitude for era of railroads and gulf coast development. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965