Est. 1913 · Thomas Trammell Estate · Mission Revival-Prairie School Architecture · Former Sweetwater Hospital 1923-1936
Thomas Trammell (1848-1919) was a rancher, banker, and one of the early civic leaders of Sweetwater, Texas, credited locally as the man most responsible for bringing the railroads to town in the late 19th century. Between 1911 and 1913 he commissioned a substantial new family residence at 1400 Sam Houston Street, designed by John Earl Young, a Salt Lake City architect who later became known as the father of actress Loretta Young. The house is a notable West Texas example of Mission Revival-Prairie School styling, with deep eaves, stuccoed walls, and tile accents.
Trammell died in 1919. Following his death his family leased the house to the city of Sweetwater, which operated it as the community's only hospital from 1923 to 1936. The property later returned to residential use and changed hands several times during the 20th century. The Shadowlands narrative describing the home as a Civil War field hospital and an early-1900s asylum is not supported by published local history; the property predates none of those associations because the residence itself was not built until 1911.
In 2018, Mark and Kim Reaves purchased the property and undertook a restoration, reopening it as Mulberry Manor Bed and Breakfast and Event Venue. The home is operated as overnight lodging with private rooms and as a venue for weddings, receptions, and small private events.
Sources
- https://www.mulberrymanortx.com/
- https://greatstaysoftexas.com/inns/#!biz/id/65302c949f1e9b02590a41dd
Phantom footstepsObject displacementSense of presence
Reports at Mulberry Manor cluster around two phenomena. The first is auditory: the distinctive sound of high-heeled shoes descending the home's main staircase, despite the fact that the wooden steps have been carpeted for many decades. The story is often tied to the building's 1923-1936 tenure as Sweetwater's hospital, when nursing staff would have moved between floors at all hours.
The second is the recurring relocation of small personal effects. Guests have described leaving items on bedside tables and finding them later, neatly placed in the back of dresser drawers or pantry cabinets. The phenomenon is generally described as gentle and non-threatening, fitting the property's identity as a hospitality venue rather than a haunted attraction.
A Shadowlands narrative describing a Civil War general appearing in reflections is not supported by the documented history of the residence, which was not built until 1911-1913. The hospital-era lore, by contrast, ties directly to verifiable use of the building during the 1920s and 1930s.