Commercial Hotel
Floydada, Floyd County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Alabama native William P. Daily (1865-1941) and his family arrived in Floyd County in 1911, settling briefly in the Muncy community (5 mi. N). After moving to Floydada to open a feed, coal, and wagon yard, Daily recognized the need for a hotel here. Construction began in 1912, and the hotel opened in January 1913, with 21 guest rooms. Catering mostly to traveling salesmen, Daily transported them from the railroad station in a horse-drawn buggy, and allowed them to display their wares in the hotel lobby. The hotel was renamed The Lamplighter Inn in 1964. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Alabama-born William P. Daily reached Floyd County in 1911, saw that the growing town of Floydada needed lodging, and opened a 21-room hotel in January 1913. Catering mostly to traveling salesmen, he ferried them from the railroad station by horse-drawn buggy and let them show their wares in the lobby; the place was later renamed the Lamplighter Inn.
Why it matters
A small-town commercial hotel captures the rhythm of early-twentieth-century Texas life, when railroads and traveling drummers stitched isolated Plains towns into the wider economy.
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Related people
- · William P. Daily
Themes & tags
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