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The year 1882 ushered in an era of prosperity for Lampasas, as the city became the western terminus for the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe line out of Galveston. The city became a trading point for settlers who came for access to the rail line. Known for the curative powers of its local spring water, Lampasas also became a destination for those seeking health and relaxation. A group of businessmen from the Houston and Galveston area built the Grant Park Hotel (Park Hotel), to capitalize on the city’s popularity. The Park Hotel opened in 1883. The two-story frame structure stretched more than 300 feet and overlooked lawns that sloped to Sulphur Creek. The resort offered 200 guest rooms and cabins for families as well as single men, who were housed on Bachelor’s Row. Guests found entertainment in the dining room, parlors, ballrooms and an outdoor bandstand, and used bathing facilities to enjoy the mineral springs. Occupants participated in shooting contests, horseracing, boating and other pursuits; a mule-drawn trolley carried them back and forth between the hotel and the railroad depot. The Park Hotel also became the site for organization meetings, including the first convention of the Texas Bankers Association, founded in 1885 by Frank Malone, a Lampasas banker. The Hotel’s glory days were short lived. By the 1890s, when the rail line had been extended farther west and medical advances surpassed the need for curative waters, the city faced a recession. In 1891, the hotel became part of the Keely Institute. It changed hands twice more before burning to the ground in February 1895. Today, only the stone portions of the bathhouses remain at the site, reminders of a glamorous period in Lampasas history. |
