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!

Amenities, Services Offered:

Historic-Hotels-Lodges.com

The Saint James Hotel

Information Sheet

In-Room Amenities

Feature		Comments
Air conditioning	yes
Individual Room Climate Control	yes
Television	yes
Telephone	yes
High Speed Internet	yes
Coffee Maker	yes
Refrigerator	option	Available on request, extra charge
Microwave	option	Available on request, extra charge
Ice Bucket & Glasses	yes
3-prong Electrical Outlets in Rooms	yes
Hairdryers	yes
Iron & board	yes
Shampoo, Lotion, Etc.	yes
Non-Smoking Rooms	some
Fire Sprinklers	yes
Kitchenettes	no
Sound Insulation	yes
Fireplaces	some	The suites in the new section have gas fireplaces. The rooms in the historic section have non-working fireplaces.
Pets Allowed	no
Bathrobes	no
Elevator	yes

On Site Facilities

Feature		Comments
Year Built	1837
Number of Rooms	42
Swimming Pool	no
Spa or Hot Tub	some	In some suites
Exercise Room	no
Massage & Staffed Spa	no
Self-Serve Laundry	no
Full-Serve Laundry	no
Safe Deposit	yes	at front desk
Restaurant	yes	The Troupe Dining Room.
Lounge or Bar	yes	The Drinking Room
Gift Shop	no
Meeting Rooms	yes	Several of various sizes.

Hotel Services

Feature		Comments
Free Breakfast	yes	Included with room
Free Evening Reception	no
Daily Linen Change	maybe	On request
Free Parking	yes	On street in front of hotel.
Valet Parking	no
Airport Transportation	no
Bell Hops	yes
Concierge	no
Room Service	no
Credit Cards Accepted?	yes	All major cards.
ATM or Check Cashing	no

Additional Notes:

Sound insulation: The St James Hotel has reasonable sound insulation. Walls have been upgraded from the originals. We found the room we stayed in (in the new wings) to be very quiet, but there were very few people in the hotel the night we stayed there. The quietness of a room is pretty subjective. Much depends on how noisy the folks in the adjacent room are. When making a judgment on this issue we try to consider hotel construction, noise masking (white noise) sources in the room (like fans), the layout of the rooms, and the policy of the hotel management on guest noise. We always suggest you take along ear plugs, just in case you find there are elephants staying in the adjacent room.
3-prong outlets: This means the room has standard 120 VAC grounded electrical outlets. The electrical system in The St James Hotel is fully updated.
Disclaimer: The information above is a combination of information provided by the hotel and things we observed when we visited. Many of these items are subject to change at any time and we make no guarantee that the above information is accurate. Please send us an email if you notice something above is not correct. Thank you!

Planning a Visit:

Hurricane Katrina severely damaged the historic neighborhood around the St. James Hotel. The hotel itself has been repaired. However the surrounding Water Avenue Historical District was severely damaged, some buildings were completely destroyed. At the time of our visit almost all of the surrounding buildings were empty, badly damaged, and abandoned. (See photos in the virtual tour and the photo out-takes as well.) The neighborhood looks very blighted and might appear less than safe to some people. However we walked around both during the day and after dark, we explored much of the area and never felt at all threatened. Unfortunately the local business community just doesn't have the resources to rebuild and restore the area without outside grants. This has made it very difficult for the area to get back on it's feet. All of this is my way of saying to be prepared for the sad condition of the area, but don't panic over it. See it for what it is, a display of the awesome power of a hurricane.
The hotel's restaurant, The Troupe Dining Room, as well as the Drinking Room are now open. They were closed for renovation during our visit. I have been assured they both have excellent food. We did sneak in and take pictures of both, see the virtual tour.
If you want a taste of the local flavor walk two blocks over to Selma Street and have breakfast or lunch at the Downtowner Restaurant. This is where the locals meet for breakfast, discussing local politics, and whatever. It was a real treat sitting in the corner and eavesdropping on the conversations! I think the mayor may have been in the next booth over. He knew everyone who walked through the door and greeted them each by name (except us, the Yankee tourists!) The food's great too! Just don't expect anything fancy, this is a down-home style place. Enjoy!
The Restaurant on Grumbles Alley (yes, that's its name), about a block down Water Avenue from the hotel, has great food in a casual setting, and is also located in a restored historic building dating from the 1800's. It's a great alternative if you want something less elegant than the Troupe Dining Room. We ate there and highly recommend it. Be sure to check out the old iron security door they found when remodeling the building, as well as the historic photos on the walls.
Selma Alabama is a bit off the freeway and major travel routes. However the rich history of this area makes it well worth a side trip. There are over 1200 historic structures in Selma, including Antebellum and Victorian homes. Selma was a pivotal location for the civil rights movement in the 1960's, so there is a lot of history here, both recent and from the 1800s. Museums include the Sturdivant Hall Museum, the Old Depot Museum (3 blocks down the street from the St. James Hotel), and the National Voting Rights Museum.
The nearest major airport is in Birmingham, Alabama.

Rates and Reservations:

The Saint James Hotel
1200 Water Avenue
Selma, Alabama 36701
Reservations phone (334) 872-3234
The St. James does not have a website, for online reservations see: Historic Hotels of America.