The Beckham Hotel is located in Mineola, Texas, on the north side of the railroad tracks, a block
south of the Highway 69 / Highway 80 intersection.
I purchased the Hotel in 1993 and it has been my home and teaching studio from that time on. I attempted to restore some of the rooms and put 5 back into service. However, I soon found out that I was not a great host, nor did many people want to stay in an old antique hotel.
We had monthly, and sometimes weekly, concerts in the ballroom until 2006, when “event Insurance” put us out of business. During those years we had musicians from all over the world, and towards the end of our concerts, the “60 Minutes” TV crew came and filmed while Dan Rather MC’d our show with Billy Joe Shaver.
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Hotel Lobby |
Lobby from staircase
Lobby from balcony
Lobby
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The Hotel was, from what we can find out, built in the 1880's. It burned in 1920 and was remodeled, added on to, and rebuilt in 1927, and named the New Beckham Hotel. I do not know if it was the Beckham Hotel before this date.
There are rumors of several famous guests, but, alas, little proof. Guests were mainly travelers using the train station across the brick street. The street is still brick, and the station is still in use, servicing twice-daily Amtrak stops.
The hotel contains 19,500 square feet, consisting of a 2000 sq.ft. Ballroom, 28 guest rooms, an upstairs owner's apartment, a downstairs owner's apartment, a “Drummers” (Salesman) Showroom, three shops, a 1400 sq.ft. dinning room, a commercial kitchen, lobby with balcony, courtyard, back yard, and side yard. “All in all, a really great house to live in.”
The hotel is also "home" to three known ghosts. By known, I mean seen by many different people over many years. Reported sightings include a woman in a long dress, a young female child and a gambler often carrying a deck of cards.
Private Dining Room |
