Hotel Limpia
Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for a nearby creek, was built here by the Union Trading Company in 1912. With a doctor's office, drugstore, stylish guest rooms, and spacious porches the hotel became a community social center where area news could be heard, a game of croquet played, or voting results observed. Guests included area ranchers and wealthy Texans, known locally as "Summer Swallows," who came for the cool summer climate. Converted for use as apartments and offices, the hotel housed Harvard University personnel for almost 25 years. The Hotel Limpia was reestablished in 1978.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1912 by the Union Trading Company and named for nearby Limpia Creek, the Hotel Limpia quickly became the social heart of Fort Davis. With a doctor's office, drugstore, guest rooms, and broad porches, it drew ranchers and wealthy "Summer Swallows" seeking the cool high-desert climate, where they could hear the news, play croquet, or await election returns. Later used as apartments and offices—including housing for Harvard University staff for nearly 25 years—it was reestablished as a hotel in 1978.
Why it matters
The Hotel Limpia illustrates the early rise of highland tourism in West Texas, where climate itself became a draw and a small-town hotel served as a community's gathering place.
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Themes & tags
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