Round Rock’s Harris Stagecoach Inn is one of the area’s oldest and best-preserved historic inns originating as a mid-19th century change station for stagecoaches on the Chisholm Trail route from Brownsville to Helena, Arkansas. Built around 1848 to 1853 by John J. Harris, it was constructed of 18-inch-thick limestone that was quarried at the site. Hand-hewn oak beams and milled cedar lumber was hauled by oxcart from Brenham, Texas.
Reportedly Texas’ first stagecoach stop, the Inn was situated on a crest of a hill, overlooking Brushy Creek to the north. Accounts report that the stage driver would sound a horn and “the arrival of the stage was heralded by the honks from a large flock of geese owned by the Inn.” The Inn played an integral part in the development of Old Town Round Rock. It served as a gathering place for locals, a resting and eating place for weary travelers, and provided for mail delivery for settlement residents.
When the railroad came to Round Rock in 1876, the need for stagecoach travel diminished but Harris continued to operate the Inn for several years. Harris and members of his family lived at the Inn until 1907. Subsequent owners of the Inn maintained the integrity and beauty of this unique limestone building preserving its significant history while families enjoyed its space for day-to-day living.
A number of families called the Inn home through the years. Each of us have fond memories of the times our families owned the Inn. Benjamin Chester (B.C.) and Henrietta Richards (great-grandparents of Judy Anderson), bought the Inn from Jack Harris and held ownership from 1907 to 1932. B.C. owned limestone quarries in several locations in Texas and became engaged in business with one of the Round Rock quarries west of town which prompted his relocation from Kerrville to Round Rock. Judy’s grandparents, Harold and Sue (Cox) Richards, bought the property from Harold’s parents and moved into the Inn in 1941 with their two youngest children; the couple had a total of seven children. Harold was a fuel distributor and supplied petroleum products for road construction projects.
The next several years saw the beginning of World War II and five of the young men in the Richards’ family were called into military service overseas to fight in the war. In their absence Harold and Sue spent hours collecting stone nearby and, on the property, and built the iconic dry-stack rock wall that surrounded the Inn. The work kept their hands and minds occupied, briefly setting aside worry for their young men. That wall stood intact until the Inn was moved in 2018. The wall’s rock was moved to the new location and has been incorporated into the landscape design surrounding the Inn at its new home in Chisholm Trail Crossing Park.
Following the war when all five Richards’ men returned safely, happier days and family activities returned which included meals, homemade ice cream, yard games, song fests, and rocking new babies. Cousins waited anxiously in the yard for their playmates to arrive and join the fun. It was the best and happiest time to be a kid!
Harold died in 1948 and in the early 1950s, the family added a large room on the west side of the Inn to provide adequate dining space for the growing family. The Inn’s ceiling was lowered; wallpaper and plaster were removed from the interior walls revealing newsprint from the 1870s covering the limestone. The window openings were enlarged, and the sash windows were replaced with metal casement windows.
Round Rock’s original Old Settlers’ Park was located just to the southeast and down the hill from the Inn. A traveling carnival came to Round Rock every summer and was eagerly anticipated by all the cousins. Its proximity allowed for the children to walk to the carnival and enjoy pony and carnival rides.
When the Davol family bought the Inn in March 1959, the carnival was still an exciting attraction. Frank and Phebe also walked there and rode the Tilt-A-Whirl, visited the “haunted house,” rode the Ferris wheel, and played carnival games in the hopes of winning prizes. They were cautioned by their mother, Laura, not to play near the rock wall surrounding the Inn because there were snakes that “like to live in the rock wall.” They challenged themselves by quickly walking on the wall so the snakes could not “catch” them.
Don Davol’s love of history prompted him to buy the Inn and move his wife Laura, and their children, Frank and Phebe, from Florence into this new home. They added two bedrooms and an additional bath on the south side of the Inn, and invited Richards’ family members to the Inn to see the renovations they had made. They also installed a swimming pool overlooking RM620 on the north side of the property. Phebe has fond memories spending countless hours swimming or lounging near the pool, using baby oil and cocoa butter as suntan lotion.
Another similarity of these two families (Davol and Richards) is the patriarch of both families died in the month of October, 17 years apart. Subsequent restaurant owners claimed there were unexplained noises, lights and sound systems mysteriously turning on by themselves. Visions of a male spirit dressed in a white dress shirt were also reported. Interestingly, both Don Davol and Harold Richards were formally attired most often in white dress shirts.
In 1963 the Inn was approved as a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark (RTHL), thanks to the efforts of Don and Laura Davol. At the time it was still considered one of the oldest structures in Old Town Round Rock. It remained a designated landmark until 1996 when some unauthorized exterior architectural changes were made, and the landmark medallion disappeared.
Today, there is an overpass over the Inn’s original location which necessitated its demolition or its relocation. Relocation was the answer. How did this move come about? How did a community save a 170-year-old building destined for demolition that had lost its historic designation protection? Some historical context might help explain.
Back in 1946 when Texas Highway Department – now known as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) – was developing plans to extend RM620 to Mansfield Dam, the agency intended the road to pass to the south of the Stagecoach Inn. Sue Richards’ sister lived in a house to the south in close proximity to the Inn. To keep peace in the family and protect the safety of children visiting back and forth between both homes, Harold Richards struck a deal with the Highway Department to have RM620 rerouted to the north of the Inn. For a recorded $1.00, Richards deeded .87 acres of his land for the roadway and another .65 acres for right of way to the State of Texas in September of 1946.
The resulting “S” curve on RM620 adjacent to the Inn’s property on the north side existed for 75-plus years. As population grew and more vehicles traveled the road, this design posed unsafe conditions for motorists and emergency vehicles. Those long-ago efforts to keep peace in the family were now an obstacle to progress.
Fast forward to 2012. TxDOT and the City of Round Rock had worked for at least a decade developing plans for a safe solution at this intersection and to correct the graded railroad crossing and “S” curve on RM620. Unfortunately, the Stagecoach Inn was in the path. The City of Round Rock purchased the Commons Business Complex which included the Stagecoach Inn as part of right of way acquisition for the road project. The City’s plan was to demolish the Inn, because it was potentially too costly and unsafe to move.
Concerned citizens and preservation proponents initiated a Change.org petition which garnered 1,200 signatures in support of saving the Inn. In 2016, Donald and Shirley Marquardt founded Round Rock Preservation, a 501(C)(3) non-profit, to provide an organized voice for the Inn’s preservation and to enable fund raising to save the Inn. After providing the feedback from the petitions to Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan and City Council, the Council approved saving the Inn in 2017 and voted to use hotel occupancy taxes to pay for its relocation. A feasibility study had been conducted which assured the leaders it would be safe to move the structure.
Additions made to the Inn through the years were removed and the original footprint was stabilized and prepared for the move. In April 2018, the 100-ton Inn was ready for its move from atop the hill on Round Rock Avenue to its new home 1,000 feet north on Chisholm Trail Road within the Chisholm Trail Crossing Park as a part of the Heritage Trail West project. The historic move took three days. At its new location the mothballing process began. The tedious job of repairing the mortar was necessary to strengthen the walls so they will endure for the years ahead.
Restoration fundraising began in earnest in 2017 by Round Rock Preservation. Commemorative bricks were sold, adventure kits for hikers, Round Rock History Throws, and numerous other fundraising efforts ensued. Generous donations from non-profit partners, corporations and individuals resulted in over $57,000 being raised for restoration costs. $55,500 was presented to the city to supplement design expenses and materials costs; the remainder to be used for interior décor.
The Inn sat untouched from 2018 until 2023 due to pandemic constraints and 2021 bankruptcy of the first contractor. A second contract was awarded in April 2023 and notice to proceed was issued that June. Materials replicating those used for the original structure included cedar shakes for roofing, window openings were returned to original size and design, floors were replaced with reclaimed pine, and the ceiling was constructed of cedar. Meticulous detail was employed to restore the Inn authentically to its original state, including light fixtures and door handles.
The completion of this significant restoration occurred in the fall of 2024. This beautiful piece of history sits within a park dedicated to historic Round Rock, adjoining the Heritage Trail West trail system where history stories by decade beginning in the 1800s through 1970s capture past events that make Round Rock unique. The Inn and surrounding area is ready to be enjoyed by generations to come, providing a view to the past and a reflection of dedication to historic preservation, evidenced by the City of Round Rock and Round Rock Preservation advocates.
