THE GLOBE HOTEL

Under the headline, “TRAVELING SALESMAN ACCIDENTALLY SHOT”, the Austin Statesman newspaper carried this story on July 3, 1906.

“W. W. Sesame, traveling salesman for Bassist of Elgin, was accidentally shot in the arm this morning at 11:30, the ball of a 38-calibre Colt’s entering the arm near the elbow, inflicting a painful wound. Bob Wolf, who was examining the gun, accidentally discharged it with the above effect. The shooting occurred at the Globe Hotel and had not the ball struck a domino on the table, perhaps, would have had disastrous results, but the domino changed the course of the bullet slightly, striking Sesame in the arm, inflicting a painful would. Mr. Sesame left this afternoon for Elgin on the eastbound Houston and Texas Central.”

Photo from the John Miller Morris Real Photographic Postcards and Photographs

of Texas collection at the DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

For at least 25 years, The Globe Hotel was one of the popular places to stay when visiting or traveling through Manor. Records indicate that it was in business at least from 1893 to 1918. Newspaper advertisements such as this one from the October 28, 1893 edition of The Galveston Daily News gave reasons to stay at The Globe Hotel. 

Conveniently located next to the railroad tracks, on the north side of what was then Burditt Street, The Globe Hotel was easy to find for anyone departing from the train at the depot. This map from 1916 shows the hotel, a two-story, shingle roof, wooden building, and it's proximity to the place where the train would stop.

 

A story in the July 8, 1894 edition of The Austin Daily Statesman told of a burglary that occurred at the hotel on the previous night. It read:

"Dr. D. Saffold, dentist, of Beeville, Tex., arrived here last night and put up at the Globe hotel. When he awoke this morning he found he had been robbed of $83 in cash and a gold watch and chain. Nothing of this kind has occurred in Manor for a long time and the affair caused considerable interest. A subscription of $60 was made up in a short while as a reward for the capture of the thief. The watch was a lady’s watch and has the inscription on inside of case, 'Presented to Mrs. A. M. Saffold by D. Saffold' , being a memento of his dead wife. Dr. Saffold prized it very highly and grieves greatly at the loss of it."

Another newspaper gave further detail saying that the Doctor's room was on the first floor and that the burglar entered through an open window sometime during the night. 

The hotel came very close to being consumed by fire in December of 1894. An article in the Austin Daily Statesman was headlined "FIRE AT MANOR" with a sub headline reading: 

“An Early Morning Fire Destroys a Number of Business Houses”. 

"Fire broke out at 2 a.m. on Main street and burned to the ground all the block east of J. W. Bitting’s brick store…. 

The fire company and citizens generally worked faithfully, and notwithstanding the strong norther prevented the fire from crossing the alley and saved the Lancaster residence, Globe Hotel and Lewis building. If these had caught, the railroad depot and four or five seed houses would certainly have caught also.”

Advertisements such as these from 1913 and 1914 were frequently placed in Austin newspapers of that time.  

According to the December 18, 1917 advertisement in The Statesman, the hotel underwent a management change which apparently didn't last very long. 

Only three months later, The Statesman, on  March 16, 1918, ran what appears to be the final ad for the hotel. No more are seen after that date. A map of Manor from 1925 shows a vacant lot in the area where The Globe Hotel had been.