Ingleside, devastated after the hurricane of 1900
|
Although the present Ingleside was built in the 1920’s by H.F. Hohlt, the history of the name Ingleside goes back to the mid 1800s, when Tacitus Matthew Clay (Kentucky) built the original Ingleside on Hwy 390, just west of Independence, Texas. Clay was the great, great, great grandfather of Connie Hall, the inn’s current owner. The house was a four-story stone structure featuring two great halls 90 ft in length with a 3rd floor ballroom and crowned by a captain’s walk. The ballroom was the site of many happy occasions hosting dances and weddings for family and friends. The innkeeper’s grandfather, David Jones Clay, was born at Ingleside, which the locals had dubbed "The Clay Castle." It was damaged by the hurricane of 1900, which devastated Galveston Island and moved inland. A subsequent hurricane a few years later further damaged the structure, rendering it uninhabitable. The stone and cedar boards with which it was lined were taken by many as a souvenir of the Clay Castle, and only portions of the foundation now remain.
The present Ingleside first caught the eye of Connie Hall’s father, the young E. Finney Clay, while being driven from Independence to Brenham for business or pleasure pursuits. He would feign carsickness whenever they approached the site of the Ingleside, so a stop would assure that he could gaze at his dream house. He loved it, and to his young eyes, it was the prettiest house in Brenham, never dreaming that it would one day become the home where he would raise his family.
Ingleside as it stands today
|
In 1962, it became available and an exchange was made of land across from the original Ingleside. The Clay family is the 3rd owner of the property, and theirs the first children reared in the house. It was perfect for scout meetings, slumber parties, cast parties for Junior and Senior plays, not to mention a perfect spot from which to view the annual Brenham Mayfest junior and senior parades, held each spring on Mother’s Day weekend. Over the years the house went from being known as the Holt House to the Clay’s House, and when opened as a bed and breakfast briefly in the late 1980’s, the name Ingleside (Welsh for "hearth") seemed appropriate for a setting of hospitality and welcome to guests. The present innkeeper and owner, Connie Hall, continues the tradition of hospitality.
We are proud to be a "traditional" bed and breakfast with a full country gourmet breakfast.
|
