Title
Consider a presentation regarding the Stagecoach Inn Relocation Feasibility Study performed by Architexas.
Body
Architexas was contracted to complete this study to examine the process and costs for relocating and rehabilitating the historic structure, which is in the path of the RM620 road realignment project. This presentation will review their relocation feasibility findings.
History/Significance of the Stagecoach Inn:
Built from 1848-1853 by John and Susie Harris, the Stagecoach Inn is a remaining part of Round Rock’s early founding period. It was one of the first permanent buildings established where a major north-south stagecoach route crossed Brushy Creek. The settlement that grew at the Brushy Creek crossing grew in Round Rock’s founding and “pre-railroad” period. Unlike the pioneer era, pre-railroad buildings were built to last, usually by skilled craftsmen, using materials available in the immediate area and following traditional folk building forms. The Inn was constructed from limestone quarried from the hill on which it stands, and the stones show the marks from hand chisels. While manufactured building materials were available, transporting them was prohibitively expensive until the arrival of the railroad in 1876.
The stagecoach route was used by cattle trails between ca. 1865-76, and was still the main route between Austin and Georgetown until the 1920s. The Stagecoach Inn was unaltered until ca. 1930 when the window openings were widened and space was added for a kitchen and bathroom. Some modifications to the roof were made later. While the State removed the building’s state historic designation in 1996, Round Rock deemed its significance to be more than just architectural. The City designated this structure as a local historic landmark in 1984, recognizing that the Chisholm Trail area has significance to the history and development of Round Rock. The landmark was designated because of its importance to transportation as a stagecoac...
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