Est. 1851 · Oldest Hotel Building in Texas · 19th-Century Texas River Trade · Jefferson Texas History
Jefferson, Texas was among the most significant port cities in 19th-century Texas. Located on Big Cypress Bayou, a navigable waterway connecting to Caddo Lake and the Red River, Jefferson served as a major commercial hub for steamboat trade in the 1840s–1870s. The city was briefly considered a candidate for the state capital.
Allen Urquhart, the city's founder, constructed the building at the corner of W Franklin Street in 1851. The structure has operated as a hotel for much of its history, but records indicate over 40 different businesses occupied the space across its 170-plus years — general mercantile, warehousing, and commercial operations tied to the steamboat trade.
Jefferson's decline began in 1874, when the Army Corps of Engineers removed the natural timber raft on the Red River that had maintained water levels on the bayou, effectively ending steamboat navigation and eliminating the city's commercial advantage. The city's population fell sharply over subsequent decades.
The hotel operates today as the Jefferson Palace Hotel, maintaining its reputation as the oldest hotel building in Texas. The 'Book of the Dead' at the front desk is a guest log of paranormal encounters dating back years; new guests are invited to add their accounts.
Sources
- https://www.historicjefferson.com/pages/about-us
- https://www.hauntjaunts.net/the-historic-jefferson-hotel-the-worlds-most-haunted-hotel/
- https://dallasterrors.com/the-jefferson-palace-hotel/
ApparitionsPhantom smellsEVPCold spots
Room 19 carries the most developed paranormal record in the hotel. Guests report a female apparition that appears in the steam of a running shower or hot bath — visible in the bathroom mirror in condensation. Some accounts describe writing or markings appearing on the mirror surface. The figure is described in accounts as a young woman; the hotel's documented history of the room's narrative involves a violent death on the premises in an earlier era.
The 'Book of the Dead' at the front desk functions as a running investigative log. Guests are encouraged to record what they experienced, when, and in which room. The book spans multiple volumes and is available for review by new arrivals. The hotel reports that the front desk staff field questions about Room 19 regularly enough that it represents a significant booking consideration for visitors who come specifically for paranormal interest.
Private paranormal investigations are available through the hotel by advance arrangement, according to the hotel's website menu structure. The Jefferson ghost walk — operating in downtown Jefferson — incorporates the hotel into its route and covers the wider district's paranormal history, including multiple other historic properties.
Notable Entities
Room 19 Spirit
