Matagorda County TXGenWeb
Many historic homes are noted for their architectural beauty and fine craftsmanship while others become renowned for the persons who frequent their doors and the buildings own contribution to the community.
Such a building with the latter attributes is at 2400 Avenue F, and through its s76 years of existence has many interesting glimpses into the history of Bay City.
For many years the home was known as the Rugeley House, then became Bay City’s first hospital, reverting in the 20s to an inn, and in the 30s to a rooming and apartment dwelling.
With the beginning of Bay City in 1894, Edgar Poe Rugeley purchased four lots on block 81 for a sum of $200 paying $2 down and the balance plus interest to be paid over a period of two years.
By May 30, 1895, Rugeley and his wife, Patti Ann Matthews Rugeley had built one of the finest homes in Bay City, a two-story, 10-room house, operating it as a private boarding house.
Built in the shape of an L out of one by 12 lumber and sealed by batten strips it became known as the Rugeley House and was not only a haven for the weary traveler, but was a site for social events in the community.
“Uncle Edgar and Aunt Patti,” as they were affectionately known by the children in the community, were Episcopalians.
They were also active in Methodist activities due to the irregular services of their own church. Each Sunday afternoon they would gather the children in their hack and escort them to the Epworth League at the Methodist Church five blocks north of their home.
Children coming in from Caney would often stay with the Rugeleys while their parents were attending to business.
In the Bay City Breeze of 1898, a wedding of interest was recorded
Married on Tuesday morning, May 17, 1898 at the Rugeley House by the Reverend J. W. Cother, Mr. C. Langham of Illamara, Louisiana and Miss Mattie Dantzler of this city.
Mr. Langham was a boarder at the Rugeley House at the time.
The Langhams, prominent in the affairs of the church and city, became the parents of four daughters; Charlotte, Martha, Rose and Constance.
On December 26, 1899, Alice, daughter of the Rugeleys, married V.H. Harding in a ceremony at the Rugeley House.
She recalled many happy events in this home as a young woman; one was the marriage of her cousin, Ada Rugeley, to W. L. McCamly on February 18, 1901 in the lobby or downstairs reception room.
An interesting sidelight is that in those early years of Bay City, most weddings were early in the morning to give the bride and groom time to get to Van Vleck or Wharton to catch the train, as there was no train coming to Bay City.
Mrs. William Cash, Bay City’s oldest citizen, came as a bride in 1899 from Missouri, traveling as far as Wharton by train.
It took Mr. and Mrs. Cash 14 hours to come the remaining 25 miles to Bay City.
They came through mud and rain, arriving in Bay City that evening at 9:30, to spend their first night at the Rugeley House. They were given the “Bridal Chamber,” which was the only room having wall paper; all others were finished in shiplap.
There were no screens and it was necessary to sleep under mosquito netting.
The next morning Mrs. Cash stood at the windows and looked out on the city that was to become her home.
Water covered the streets and among the few buildings she could see were Dr. J. E. Simons and Dr. H. L. Rugeley’s homes to the east and to the north stood the jail and courthouse.
Rugeley House has weathered the many storms from its beginning. In 1898 the terrible freeze is recalled by Rowland Rugeley, who as a lad trudged over an icy path from his home to his Uncle Edgar’s.
Ice was everywhere and the shrubs and trees glistened with icicles. The 1900 storm became so severe everyone in the Rugeley House left and went across the street to the Austin home.
Thirty-one people spent that storm with the Austins, but on returning very little damage had been done. In the 1909 storm the Rugeley House was blown off its foundation.
As early as 1902, Bay City had attempted to improve its streets and the Rugeley House was one of its signposts.
Quoting from an early Matagorda County Tribune, “Bay City graded its first street, Ave F, from the Rugeley House to the Southern Pacific.”
The Rugeleys operated the Rugeley House until his death in 1913 and one of the advertisements described the atmosphere of this home.
The Rugeley House is one of the most homelike and popular houses in Texas and its patrons always go away singing its praises. Rates $1.50 to $2.00 per day.
After Edgar P. Rugeley’s death, the Rugeley House was converted into Bay City’s first hospital, remaining in that capacity for eight years.
In February, 1913, Dr. Claude P. Jones of Boston Massachusetts, with Miss Genevieve Sharpless, a trained nurse from New Jersey, came to Bay City. Miss Sharpless was the only trained nurse in Matagorda County at the time.
Jones had asthma and had come to Texas with the hope of improving his health.
He persuaded Miss Sharpless to come for three months to assist him in beginning the hospital. She, in turn, had to convince her parents for permission to come so far from home.
The three months became a lifetime as she married a young doctor by the name of A.S. Morton. By 1914 Jones had bought the Rugeley House and was converting it into a hospital.
Sharpless and Jones worked almost around the clock, 18 to 21 hours a day, getting the hospital ready for patients, and just as long hours after it was established.
The Jones family lived downstairs while the patients’ rooms were upstairs.
The operating room was situated on the north side of the building. Using an old fashioned boiler, the instruments and dressings were sterilized each evening.
After that chore was completed, this one trained nurse would go from room to room with white paint and a brush touching up to keep the facilities spotless.
Dr. Henry H. Loos joined Jones shortly after as a surgeon. [pictured at left] Other physicians practicing in this hospital were A.S. Morton, J.E. Simons, S.A. Foote, P.E. Parker, T.C. Brooks, E.E. Scott and Dr. Reed. Jones and Loos joined the army and the hospital was sold to two trained nurses, a Miss Gordon and a Miss Royer, who operated it until the middle of 1922.
One of the first patients in Jones hospital was Cooper Gusman.
He was only a young boy and was stricken with appendicitis in 1914. Friends of his father placed him on a stretcher and walked the few blocks from his home, carrying him to the operating room upstairs.
One of the men held an umbrella over him as the procession made its way on a warm, sunny day with this seriously ill youth.
A specialist from Houston came by train, performed the surgery and returned on the next train. Cooper remained in the hospital some six weeks.
One of the last patients in this hospital was Mrs. Anna Lee Martin, who gave birth to a daughter in April of 1922.
Six weeks later, during a flood, she brought the baby by boat to see her grandmother Rugeley who lived next door to the hospital. The Rugeley family took in boarders also, and in later years referred to their home as Rugeley House.
In 1922 Mrs. J.C. Pevoteaux bought the hospital and once more it became a rooming house and was known as the Van Shi Inn. The story is told that two salesmen were regular customers at the hotel.
One of the salesmen was Vannort and the other salesman’s name began with Shi. They were such good roomers
Pevoteaux honored them by naming the rooming house Van Shi Inn.
In 1924 the Bay City Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club formed a hotel committee to formulate plans to build a large modern hotel.
At one of the meetings Pevoteaux stated that she had 52 rooms and that it was not unusual for her to turn people away for lack of accommodations.
The Van Shi Inn had its social activities as the Rugeley House had 25 years before.
By 1932 Mr. and Mrs. Tom Horne had bought the Van Shi Inn.
In 1940 on the death of Mrs. Horne, her daughter, Winnie Hoppes became owner and has lived there these last years.
It is no longer a boarding house, but consists of five large apartments. The lobby and stairways remain the same, as well as the outside features with the exception of a large rose trellis which was destroyed by a hurricane in 1942.
This house has withstood many a hurricane as it has been buffeted by wind and rain.
One can see the many additions that have been added to the back, but the front is primarily as it was in 1895.
As some ponder over what has happened in this home - children, young people, older people moving through its rooms and halls, of the traveler of long ago finding rest under its roof, and the sick who were made well, one knows this house has witnessed birth and death, sunshine and rain, joy and sadness.
Truly, this house, weather beaten as it may be to the passerby, has given its own individual contribution to the character of this community.
Daily Tribune, Wednesday, September 15, 1971