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A TOUR OF HISTORIC BIG SPRING, TEXAS

The Lubbock Heritage Society was Big Spring bound on Saturday, June 22, 2013. Our itinerary at a glance was:

7:45 a.m.      Depart Lubbock from the Buddy Holly Center Parking Lot
10:00 a.m.    Arrive in Big Spring
10:15 a.m.    Dine early at the newly reopened historic Settles Hotel to avoid the lunch crowd
11:30 a.m.    Tour the restored Hotel.
1-2:00 p.m.   Bus tour of the Big Spring State Park
2-3:00 p.m.   Tour the Heritage Museum
3-4:00 p.m.   Guided tour of the Potton House, circa 1901, for a wonderful look at turn of the century architecture and furnishings.
4:00 p.m.      Bus departure from Big Spring
6:00 p.m.      Arrive back in Lubbock

Transportation was furnished by King's Highway Tour Bus. The cost per person was $25.00 plus the cost of lunch. 

Below are some comments from David Cummins on the trip to Big Spring:

Hotel Settles, 200 East Third Street, Big Spring Texas, reopened Tuesday January 1, 2013 after a major renovation following its closure in the late 1970s. It is historic, built by W.R. and Lillian Settles in 1930 designed by David S. Castle, Abilene architect, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_S._Castle and is registered in the National Register of Historic Places. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settles_Hotel It was purchased in 2006 and restored by G. Brint Ryan d/b/a Settles Hotel Redevelopment Company. His brother Kris Ryan worked on the renovation/redevelopment. http://hotelsettles.com/ G. Brint Ryan is principal in Ryan Inc. / Ryan Valuation Services http://www.ryan.com/ 13155 Noel Road # 100 in Dallas. This was a 20 million dollar project. Don't know how many of the fifteen floors are renovated but the first, mezzanine floor, and second floor are redone along with a comfortable lodging room for you on some floor. The third floor rooms are retained in the original floor plan for authenticity sake. Upper floor rooms are modernized and expanded. E-mail for more information at info@hotelsettles.com King and Queen size bedded rooms are $179 while suites are $220 per night. Settles Grill offers breakfast lunch and dinner. Drinks are available at Pharmacy Bar and Parlor. An outdoor swimming pool will be available in Summer 2013. Project architect is Norman Alston and general contractor is Mike Knowles.

Barbara Brannon, a member of the LHS, contributed a short video on the hotel's reopening for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal's website.

Big Spring State Park is the site of a spring for which the city is named. The park area is on a rocky outcropping and bluff portion of the Edwards Plateau known locally as Scenic Mountain. The Civilian Conservation Corps built this park in the 1930s Depression era. For the story of that Corps developing Texas parks go here.

Heritage Museum of Big Spring is at 510 Scurry Street and was opened in 1970. Its director is Nancy Raney and its curator is Tammy Schrecengost.

Potton House is managed by the museum but is located five blocks to the north at 200 North Gregg Street. Potton was an Englishman working for The Texas & Pacific Railroad. He wanted a Victorian house and it was constructed in 1901.

Photographs by Lonnie Wheeler.

The grand staircase of the Settles Hotel.

David Cummins heads the line for the upstairs tour.

View grand staircase of the Settles Hotel taken from below.

The view down into the lobby area of the Settles Hotel.

The contemporary bar at the hotel.

Looking down onto the city of Big Spring.

(Barbara Davis?), LHS president Pam Brink, and Alvin Davis were among those who went on the Big Spring tour trip.

Tour members on the second floor of the renovated hotel.

The grand ball room.

The elegant ceiling of the grand ballroom.

The historic exterior of the Settles Hotel.

An old photograph hanging at the hotel. Written on it is "Banquet of West Texas Drug Convention" and "Big Spring 3/11-12/31." 

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Lubbock Heritage Society, P. O. Box 5443, Lubbock, Texas 79408 (806) 392.4949, LubbockHeritageSociety@gmail.com