History

The History of Hotel Limpia

The Hotel Limpia was named after Limpia Creek, which winds through the valleys of the Davis Mountains. The earliest Mexican settlers called the creek Limpia, meaning clean, referring to its clear water.

The Hotel Limpia was established in 1884 in a small, red-brick building, one mile north of downtown near the Overland Trail, across from the fort. In the early 1900’s, East Texans found the beautiful Davis Mountain region of the state and its incomparable climate and the town became a summer destination. When the owners of the local Union Trading Company saw a need for a larger, more modern hotel, the current structure was built in 1912 and opened in 1913 on what would soon be the town square near the courthouse, across from the bank, and next to the Union Mercantile (currently the Jeff Davis Library).

The building operated as a hotel until 1953 when a fire destroyed the lobby. Local rancher and civic leader J.C. Duncan purchased the hotel, reconfigured it, and immediately leased the first floor to Harvard University for their local astronomy interests. The remainder of the building was remodeled into apartments. By 1978, Duncan felt it was time to convert the building back into a working hotel. Renovations were made and, on July 2, 1978, it was rechristened Sutler’s Limpia Hotel. Modern conveniences including private baths and central heating and air conditioning, made it more comfortable than ever. In 1990 it returned to its current moniker of Hotel Limpia.

Today, Hotel Limpia is still much as it was when lawyers, judges, doctors, politicians, and their families came to town to escape the sultry climate to the south and the east. The rounded corners, high metal ceilings, and turn of the century ambience of the hotel remain the same.