Nelson Hotel
Celina, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Early Celina settler Richard Tinsley Peterman built this structure in 1914, twelve years after the town moved from its original site (1 mile south) to the railroad line. The building originally housed a grocery store on the ground floor and rental space on the second floor. Charlie Spergon Nelson, who moved his family to Celina in 1917, bought the property in 1922. The family lived on the first floor and operated the Nelson Hotel for railroad travelers on the second floor. The hotel remained in operation under Nelson family ownership until 1976. (1991)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Celina relocated a mile north to meet the railroad, settler Richard Tinsley Peterman built this structure in 1914 with a grocery below and rooms above. The Nelson family bought it in 1922, living downstairs while running the upstairs Nelson Hotel for travelers coming through by rail. The hotel served that clientele under family ownership until 1976.
Why it matters
The building shows how the railroad reorganized small-town Texas, pulling whole communities to the tracks and creating the lodging and commerce that grew up around the depot.
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Related people
- · Charlie Spergon Nelson
- · Richard Tinsley Peterman
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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