The Saint James Hotel

Selma, Alabama

History of the Saint James Hotel

(Note- the history of the St. James is rather sketchy, the following was pieced together from many sources, some of which conflict, especially in regard to dates. Corrections are welcomed!)

Built in 1837, the hotel was originally named the Brantley Hotel after Brigadier General John Brantley, who headed the stock consortium that financed the construction. The hotel was built adjacent to the docks on the Alabama River in the City of Selma, Alabama. It provided lodging and meals for the merchants who traded in cotton and other commodities. It appears to have had many owners over the years.

At some point prior to the Civil War the hotel was renamed the Troupe House. During the years leading up to the Civil War the hotel was owned by Dr. James Gee. Gee had inherited a slave by the name of Benjamin Sterling Turner from his brother. Mr. Turner was educated and had shown a talent for management, so Gee made him manager of the hotel. Benjamin S. Turner went on to become the mayor of Selma, and was the first African-American to serve in the U.S. Congress.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861 Selma became a major manufacturing and distribution center for the Confederacy. In 1865 the City of Selma fell, and the hotel was taken over by the invading Union troops. The troops made the hotel their headquarters, thus sparing it. In a standard practice of the war, they torched much of the rest of the town.

After the war the city of Selma rebuilt and prospered. In 1871 Captain Tom Smith bought the hotel and changed the name of it to the St. James Hotel. The hotel did well during this period. In 1885 a bridge across the Alabama River was constructed just south of the hotel. While the original bridge is long gone, the bridge keeper's cottage still stands adjacent to the hotel.

Over the years the hotel changed hands several more times, and the St. James slowly became well known for its dining room and drinking room, which were popular with locals. The guest rooms were less popular, as newer and nicer hotels were being built in the area. The St. James eventually became a residence hotel, while slowly deteriorating more and more. During this declining period the hotel's claim to fame is it's connection to the outlaws Jesse and Frank James, who are said to have been guests in the hotel in the 1880's. A portrait of a lady said to have been Jesse James mistress at the time now hangs in the hotel sitting room, you will see it on the Virtual Tour.

By the 1890's the St James was showing signs of it's almost 50 year age, and it closed it's doors in 1892 or 1893. After it's demise as a hotel the building saw a number of commercial and industrial uses. Old guest rooms became offices or were used for storage. The ground floor was gutted and turned into a feed store and later a tire recapping factory. The rear wings of the hotel were torn down and the courtyard removed to make way for storage.

The original exterior walls and balconies remained and the upper floors of the main building were only minimally changed over the next 100 years. The property was eventually purchased by the city of Selma for the purpose of preserving the historical building. Money for restoration was raised from various sources including federal grants and private donations. The Saint James Hotel has now been restored to look typical of a hotel in the early 1800's, although not exactly like the original. New rear wings were built to replace the ones that were removed, the courtyard was restored and replanted, and modern amenities were installed such as an elevator, heating and air-conditioning, and somewhat larger rooms than the originals. Essentially this is a new hotel built within the shell of the old one, while keeping it as historically accurate as possible. The resulting new St James Hotel is a masterpiece of architectural restoration work. It is furnished with antiques in the public areas and reproductions in most of the guest rooms. This hotel is definitely worth driving out of the way to visit!

More on the St James Hotel's history, features, and stories (including the many ghosts) are covered on the Virtual Tour. You don't want to miss this one!