The Beth Lists
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!
 90 Notable Nights

#39 The Southern Hotel

10/22/2014

0 Comments

 
 
Night 3 of Road Trip in Sainte Genevieve, MO

​
After staying in a big city hotel the night before, it was a treat to be in an old "house" for a night.
Picture
Instead of a city, we stayed in a small Missouri town. The oldest town west of the Mississippi.

Stairs

​
Don and I didn't even mind lugging our stuff up to the third floor. We were just glad they had stairs at all.  ​
Picture
Picture
Originally, when Francois Valle II built this home in the 1790's, there was only a ladder to the third floor. Stairs were built after the Civil War and  some ladder/steps still lead up to the rooftop Widow's Watch.

Floors
​
​
Some floors have been replaced, but many areas still have the original wood. 
 


Picture
I loved all the creaks in the smooth, worn boards.

​The Quilt Room
​
​
There are 9 guest rooms at the hotel, but we were the only guests during our stay. Our room, The Quilt Room was appropriately named. (I counted 20)
Picture
It also had a nearly 200 year old "4-poster cannon ball bed"  which was surprisinly comfy. I loved the slant-y ceilings (more than Don who is tall) and dormer window.  Six dormers were added in 1870 to make the third floor more useable.  

Window Views
​
​
I'm a big window person, especially when they are open, letting in a warm, fall breeze. I'm always a little excited to look out and see what surprises I might find. The
Picture
Picture
first window was beside 2 comfy chairs and a plate with chocolate chip cookies. The view revealed a church steeple and some evening clouds.

"Bathroom" Window

​
There was a nice view of the back garden from the window beside the tub.  I'm not sure we can call that a bathroom, though. The short, wood screen beside our bed hardly blocked off the dormer area with its collection of bathing features.
Picture
Picture
It's good Don and I have been married 35 years or we would have done more cringing than laughing at the sight of our unhide-able green toilet and the claw footed tub.

Something Not Funny at All

For some reason the whimsically painted claw footed tub was hidden behind  a quilted skirt.  I flipped up the cover, not to get a closer look at the animals, but to peer at the floor underneath with my cell phone light.  Sure enough, there was an iron ring, just as we had recently learned.​
Picture
Picture
Our hosts Mike and Cathy confirmed that this was a part of chaining system used when the Valle's slaves were housed in the attic during the winter. It was sobering and sad to imagine this piece of history.  For a while Don and I didn't even know how to react to that knowledge...

Downstairs
​

Mike and Cathy made it clear we were welcome to enjoy the common areas in the downstairs.  
Picture
The first parlor had a pump organ and baby grand piano and an on-going quilt project that guests were encouraged to sign.

The Pool Room
​
​
We were invited to take off the cover and play pool on the classic 9-foot standard pool table built in 1875.  
Picture
The Southern was evidenlty the first pool hall west of the Mississippi to be issued a pool hall license in 1812.

Saloon and Dining Room
​
​
The dining room was where breakfast would be served in the morning. It was next to the saloon with parlor games and swinging saloon doors.  
Picture
After the house officially became a hotel in 1805, that room really had been a saloon.  Women weren't allowed to stay in the hotel because they would have to pass through the saloon to get to the rooms.

Morning
​
​
Cathy served us quite a breakfast in the morning. Butterscotch and chocolate treats, before we even had our plate of fruit, sausage, muffin and sweet breakfast dish that tasted like bread pudding!  
Picture
Picture
She was wise enough to leave us alone a bit, but later when Don and I had lots of questions for both Cathy and Mike, they spent nearly an hour filling us in on all the mysteries of the Mississippi River and the area that we had wondered about.

​​Enjoying More Morning

I couldn't get over how quiet and peaceful it was.  For some reason I had expected lots of tourists in this small town.
Picture


I  enjoyed some coffee on the porch...
Picture
Picture
...and I took a walk where I spotted dried cornfields and cozy cottages and even a horse drawn wagon.

What's Notable?

​
Cathy gave us hugs and this small wrapped goodie with candies.  So obviously we will remember the hospitality.  Being the only guests could have been awkward, but Mike and Cathy seemed to know where to draw the line. They were just friendly enough.



Picture
But there is a piece of me that won't let go of that image in my head, of our room on the third floor and who once slept there. I feel guilty when I picture us sleeping in a warm bed... without a chain.  I won't ever forget.
​

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Ninety Notable

    ​       Nights


    My New Year's Resolution for 2014 was to start documenting some of the memorable overnights I've had in some very odd and curious motels and hotels. Like the adventures in my Dining Blog, I have learned to enjoy the surprises that happen when you step out of the comfort zone, far away from the well-known chains.    

    I began with a few entries recalling my very first home away from home memories from my youth.  Then, I started sharing about some of the quirky and unforgettable motels, hotels and inns that my husband and I have discovered in recent years.

    ​The best part about this challenge was making some lists with Don and getting on the road in search of new overnight adventures.  I gave myself a 2-year goal to write up 90 stories and the goal was met. Now we just keep on adding!

    Archives

    May 2025
    March 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    March 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    September 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    000 Unusual!
    00 The Blog's Beginning
    0 Foreign Bermuda
    0 Foreign Chile
    0 Foreign Curacao
    0 Foreign France
    0 Foreign - Guatemala
    0 Foreign Italy
    0 Foreign Japan
    0 Foreign Mexico
    0 Foreign Roatan
    0 Foreign Thailand
    0 Switzerland
    Alabama
    Arizona
    Arkansas
    California
    Colorado
    Florida
    Georgia
    Hawaii
    Idaho
    Illinois
    Iowa
    *Lodges
    Louisiana
    Michigan
    Mississippi
    Missouri
    Montana
    Nevada
    New Mexico
    New York
    North Carolina
    Oklahoma
    Oregon
    South Dakota
    Tennessee
    Texas
    Utah
    Vermont
    Washington
    Wyoming

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!