Update Meetings with City of Round Rock Staff, 30 April 2013

 
U-Shaped Sitting Area to the south end of the Old Stagecoach Inn

UPDATE WITH CITY STAFF (30 Apr 2013)

On Tuesday afternoon, Shirley Marquardt (local preservationist) visited the City of Round Rock Historic Preservation Office and the City of Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department to check for updates on the status of Old Statecoach Inn.

Meeting between Shirley Marquardt & Joelle Jordan (Senior Planner-512-218-5422) & Kerstin Harding (Planner Technician-514-218-5421).  The City of Round Rock now owns the Old Stage Coach Inn building.   The Historic Preservation Office (Kerstin Harding) has collected some history on the inn and will share the info with us. The Historic Preservation Office has a list of contractors, who have the capability of moving the Old Stage Coach Inn.  The Historic Preservation Office did informally check with one of these contractors, who stated the cost to move the structure could range between $75,000-$125,000.  Joelle mentioned one shortfall in the past in accomplishing Historic Preservation Projects within Round Rock is the lack of a nonprofit organization whose charter is to further historic preservation in the City and who could help raise funds or assist with historic preservation projects. If the city moves the structure, the city has to have a firm use for the building.  Any ideas?  Could the purpose be a tourist info center, a bath house, a restaurant, a snack bar, a museum, or have another purpose.

The City is currently accepting applications for members of the City’s Historic Preservation Commission.  Application deadline is May 15, 2013. Application forms are available on the City’s website. 

Meeting between Shirley Marquardt & David Buzzell (Parks DevelopmentManager, 512-341-3345).  The master plan for the City’s Beach Project does include a footprint location for the Old Stagecoach Inn at the proposed Beach Area.  Mr. Buzzell stated he believes members of the Round Rock City Council basically like the idea of moving the Stagecoach Inn to the Beach Area; however, the one issue is funding for the project.  Another option discussed at the city is using the stones from the Old Stagecoach Inn on another structure; possibly in the beach area.  The Parks Departments expects to schedule a special meeting with the City Council prior to the end of May 2013 to give an update on the project.  The meeting will be posted on the City's website.

Questions for us:  How do we obtain the City Council's approval to fund the movement of the Stagecoach Inn?  What is our proposed use for the structure if it is moved to the Beach Area?
Can we form a group and be a deciding force to help the City make the appropriate decision on the future of the Old Stagecoach Inn.  Please share your ideas.

 

Round Rock Stagecoach Inn-Family of J J Harris

Family of John James Harris

The Old Stagecoach Inn (Harris Stagecoach Inn) was built on a hill overlooking Brushy Creek in Round Rock, Texas, by John James Harris from 1848-1953.

John James Harris (J. J. Harris) married Susannah E. Tisdale about 1841 or 1842 in Simpson, Kentucky.  John James Harris was born on May 15, 1819, in Simpson, Kentucky, and died on December 1, 1906 in Erath, Texas, at the age of 87.  Susannah E. Tisdale was born in Virgina on May 13, 1823 and proceeded John in death on July 12, 1890, at the age of 66.

John Harris was a Confederate Soldier in 1961 according to Ancestry.com.  Susannah is buried in the Old Round Rock Cemetery.  According to the census records John and Susannah had seven children:

-           George Washington Harris (1842-1935)

  -          Alexander S. Harris (February 12, 1844-January 29, 1908); buried in Old RR Cemetery
  -          John G. (Jack) Harris (1845-1926)
  -          Nathan H. Harris (1848-____)
  -          Joseph P. Harris (1849-1932)
  -          Nora S. Harris (1858-____)
  -          Dera Harris (November 27, 1874-May 7, 1900); buried in Old RR Cemetery

 If any of the above information is in error, please let us know.  Also share information if you can add more date and information on the John James Harris family.  We would love to obtain a photo of the Harris family and other families who lives in the Old Stagecoach Inn  over the years.

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J. J. Harrell Headright League of Land

LAND RECORDS

ROUND ROCK OLD STAGECOACH INN

A Headright League of Land in Texas is land granted to individuals to build a tax base and to encourage settlement in the new Republic of Texas.   A league of land is defined as 4,428.4 acres or 13,889 feet square.  The amount of land granted was dependent upon numerous factors such as date the immigrant arrived in Texas (before 1836 or after 1836), whether the immigrant was a veteran, and other criteria.

As far as I can determine, the Round Rock Old Stagecoach Inn (Harris Stagecoach Inn) is located on a portion of the Jacob M. Harrell Headright League of Land.  According to deed records at Williamson County, numerous transfers of deeds for portions of the J. M. Harrell Headright League transpired over the years.  As a novice, I had difficulty trying to follow the grantor/grantee trail of records.  If there is someone out there that can improve on the information I am sharing with you, I would welcome the assistance and the refinement of information.

According to written records, we know that John James Harris (or J. J. Harris) built the Old Statecoach Inn in Round Rock between 1848-1853.  I couldn’t track the land records back to 1848.  Here are some deed transactions that appear to be related to the land where the Old Stagecoach Inn is located.

25Aug1853    Jacob M. Harrell to Thomas C. Oatts

14Mar1863    Thomas C. Oatts to J. J. Harris (2.5 ac, Harrell J.M., Headright League, Town of RR)
14Apr1863     Thomas C. Oatts to J. J. Harris

1877                Alexander Harris & Jack Harris jointly owned one house & stone stable.   (Can anyone tell me how Jack Harris was related to J. J. Harris.  In Census Records, I couldn’t find Jack Harris listed as one of the children of J. J. Harris)

05Mar1877     Alexander Harris to Jack Harris

09Jan1880      J. J.  Harris to Jack & Anna Harris

03Dec1906     C. A. Carlson to Alexendar Harris (Document of Conveyance)

27Feb1907     Jack Harris to M. D. & Ella Surber

11Mar1907    F. M. Harrell to B. C. & Henrietta Richards

27Jun1907    M. D. Surber to B. C. Richards

11Apr1932    B. C. Richards to Donald Joseph

15Mar1941      Donald Joseph to Harold & Sue Richards

11May1956     Sue Cox Richards (Widow) to J. O. & Mary B. Barger

06Jun1957      Sue Cox Richards to J. O.  Barger

11Mar1960    J. O. Barger to Donald B. & Laura M. Davol

31Mar1966   Donald B. Davol to Laura M. Davol (AssignmentTransfer)

27Jan1984    Laura M. (Davol) Bemis to Bedico Prop Ltd (Donald Hughes Trustee)

12Jun1887   Bedico Prop Ltd to George Transom III (1.022 ac)

Couldn’t track land records for certain after 12 Jun 1887.  (Can anyone fill in the gap on land owners?)

2013            City of Round Rock purchased the land.  (Can anyone give us a date?) 

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Dry Stack Rock Retaining Wall

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 DRY-STACK ROCK WALL

ROUND ROCK OLD STAGECOACH INN

A dry-stack rock retaining wall encloses the spacious yard around the Stagecoach Inn.

 

While the Round Rock Stagecoach Inn (Harris Stagecoach Inn) was built by John James Harris of stone collected from the hill upon which it stands from 1848-1853; the dry-stack rock wall which surrounds the spacious yard by the inn was added years later by V. C. Richards (according to the book, Historical Round Rock, Texas, page 231, authors: Karen R. Thomas and Jane H. DiGesualdo, 1985).  Richards operated a small limestone quarry in the area .  I think V. C. Richards may have been B. C. Richards and his wife Henrietta, who purchased the Stagecoach Inn on March 11, 1907.   Can anyone verify  if V.C. Richards or if B. C. Richards built the retaining walls?

 

 

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 History of Stagecoach Inn, Round Rock, TX

Taken from French Quarter Restaurant Website

 

  In 1848, on the crest of a hill overlooking Brushy Creek, John and Susie Harris built the stage depot that is now the home of French Quarter Round Rock. The building’s stone was quarried from the site itself. The inn served the stagecoaches that carried mail and passengers to and from Brownsville and Salado and also an out-of-state route from Helena, Arkansas to San Antonio.

The stagecoach was equipped with a horn which was sounded about a mile outside town. A large flock of geese, kept by Harris, would respond to the horn with a flurry of honking and squawking. The citizens of Round Rock would come running to watch with curiosity the arrival of the stagecoach bearing travelers and long-awaited mail.

The inn was reportedly visited by such notable characters as John Wesley Hardin, fastest gun in the west; Sam Bass, whose last bank robbery was in Round Rock; and Soapy Smith, the most notorious “confidence” man of the day.

In the 1860′S a longhorn steer on the hoof brought $10.00 in Texas, $30.00 at the railhead in Kansas and as much as $40.00- $50.00 in Chicago and New York. This difference in pricing started the driving of large herds of cattle from Texas to Kansas along what became known as the Chisholm Trail. Many of the herds passed by the stagecoach depot because of the ford located at Brushy Creek.

The coming of the railroad to Round Rock in 1876 signaled the end of both the need for stagecoaches and long cattle drives. Most Round Rock businesses moved from the old settler’s area near the stage depot, to the rail terminal, about a mile east near present-day downtown Round Rock. The stagecoach depot became first a tavern and then a residence for a series of families, until its present-day conversion to French Quarter Round Rock, one of Williamson County’s finest restaurants.

 Process for Demolishing, Reconstructing or Relocating

 a Round Rock (RR) Historic Structure

 

Stagecoach Inn (currently French Quarter Restaurant, Round Rock, TX)

The City of Round Rock requires the owner of a historic property to submit a Request for Certificate of Appropriateness to the City’s Zoning Administrator when an owner want to demolish, reconstruct¸ alter, or relocate a historic structure (such as the Old Statecoach Inn at 901 Round Rock Avenue). 

The Round Rock Building Inspector will not issue a Demolition Permit on a historic structure until they receive approval for demolition from the RR Historic Preservation Commission.

Procedures for processing a Request for Certificate of Appropriateness by the City Zoning Administrator and the City Historic Preservation Commission are outlined in RR City Ordinance, Section 46-99 (Certificate of Appropriateness for Building Permits, Exterior Modifications, or Demolition).  The RR City Ordinances are posted on line at their website (look at info under Plan & Dev Svc, Historic Preservation).

The Zoning Administrator has authority to approve routine requests; however, requests for demolition, reconstruction, or relocation are usually forwarded to the RR Historic Preservation Commission along with the Planning Administrator’s recommendation. The RR HP Commission must make a decision not more than 30 days after the application is filed with the city. 

The RR Historic Preservation Commission are citizens appointed to the Commission by the City Council.

The decision on a Request for Demolition of a historic structure is usually to postpone the action for not more than 120 days to give commissioners and interested parties time to explore alternations to demolition.    At the end of the postponement period, the RR HP Commission will either approve or disapprove the Request for Certificate of Appropriateness.

Individuals can appeal the RR HP Commission’s decision; however, the appeal must be submitted within 15 days of the date of the RR HP Commission Decision. 

City Council always has the option to donate the structure to a nonprofit organization, sell the structure, and will also consider the potential for renovation and continue use of the structure.

 

 

 

Talking with City of Round Rock on Stagecoach Inn

 

Telephone conversation between Shirley  Marquarrdt and John Dean (Asst Transportation Director, City of RR, TX512-218-6617, ), Apr 9 2013, abt 9 a.m.

Shirley Marquardt, a local preservationist, called to ask John the status of the Stage Coach Inn in RR.  John Dean gave the following feedback:

1.        The RR Road Project along 620 which involved the State Coach Inn (French Quarter Restaurant) will start around the year 2015 (1-1/2 years from now).

2.        The State Coach Inn decision should be made by the City of RR sometime this summer 2013.

3.       John expects the decision process to begin within the next 3-6 months.

4.       John plans to contact the RR Historic Preservation Staff to receive guidance on the process to follow concerning the State Coach Inn.

5.       Earlier discussions at the City of RR have included demolishing the inn, reconstructing the Inn, moving the Inn to the Beach Area which is in the older part of town, demolishing the structure and installing an historic monument in its place.  The City is open to other options.  No firm plans have been made at this time; however, reconstruction had been discussed as not a viable option because a reconstructed structure would not be the same as the original structure.

6.       John said no cost figures have been developed on the cost to demolish the Stage Coach Inn or the cost to move the structure to another location.  John said no cost figures for these actions were included when the City of RR received approval from the RR City Council to move forward on the 620 Road Project.

7.       John recommended I contact Joelle Jordan, City of RR Historic Preservation Office, Plan & Dev Svc (512-218-5422) to find out what their recommendations were on the Stage Coach Inn as his office would look to them for guidance or next step actions. 

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Talking with the Historic Preservation Office

Telephone Conversation between Shirley Marquardt and Joelle Jordan, City of Round Rock Historic Preservation Office, Planning & Development Services Department, April 8, 2013

Shirley Marquardt called Joelle Jordan to inquire about the Round Rock city’s plans for the Stage Coach Inn.  Joelle Jordan provided the following input:

The RR Historic Preservation Office is located under the RR Planning and Development Services Department.  Historic Preservation Issues are reviewed by the RR Historic Preservation Commission.

No firm plans about the RR Stage Coach Inn exist at this time.

At some point, the RR Historic Preservation Office will receive a Request for Certificate of Appropriateness from the City of RR.  This request will probably come from the Department of Transportation since the Stage Coach Inn structure is included in a RR road transportation project.

When the Request for Certificate of Appropriateness is received by the RR Historic Preservation Commission, there will be a public input period of 120 days for the public to provide input on what should happen to the structure.  In all likelihood the Request for Certificate of Appropriateness from the Dept. of Transportation will probably be a “Request to demolish” the structure; however, Joelle was not certain.  The type of request would be up to whatever office submits the request.

When questioned, Joelle said there had been some general discussions at the city about possibly moving the Inn, reconstructing the building, demolishing the building.  As far as Joelle knew no cost figures had been developed for various options about the Inn.

Joelle recommended I call John Dean, the RR Assistant Director of Transportation to inquire about their intended plans for the RR Stage Coach Inn. 

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