Historic Walker County
An illustrated history of the city of Huntsville, Texas, and the Walker County area, paired with the histories of companies, families and organizations that make the region great.
An illustrated history of the city of Huntsville, Texas, and the Walker County area, paired with the histories of companies, families and organizations that make the region great.
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Stately columns frame the entrance to The<br />
Whistler Bed and Breakfast while towering<br />
oak, pecan, cedar and crape myrtle trees shade<br />
its expansive, green lawn. Rocking chairs and<br />
a swing beckon visitors to “rest a spell” on<br />
the wraparound front porch. Built by her<br />
ancestors in 1859, this beautiful, two story<br />
home has been in owner Mary Thomason<br />
Clegg’s family for five generations. It is she who<br />
has worked tirelessly, preserving the family’s<br />
heritage and the structure’s authenticity saying,<br />
“It is important to keep the historical elements<br />
of the structure intact.”<br />
Guests retreat to spacious bedrooms for the<br />
night and are served a sumptuous breakfast<br />
the next morning in the formal dining room.<br />
“It is a trip back in time,” says Mary, “yet it has<br />
all the amenities of modern day lodging.”<br />
THE WHISTLER<br />
BED AND<br />
BREAKFAST<br />
The house contains original furnishings,<br />
artifacts, and memories of her family’s heritage<br />
including a rosewood dining table. Originally<br />
a piano, it was owned by Mary Clegg’s great<br />
aunt, Mary Scott, a native of Mississippi. At age<br />
six, she pleaded with Union soldiers to spare<br />
her piano during their path of destruction<br />
through the South.<br />
In 1977 the home was recorded in the Texas<br />
Family Land Heritage Register. Originally, it<br />
was part of a larger family estate—one of the<br />
first to qualify for the honor. “It is a distinction<br />
conferred only upon those with continuous<br />
family land ownership for more than 100 years,”<br />
Mary adds. The Whistler Bed and Breakfast<br />
also known as the Eastham-Thomason house<br />
is a recorded Texas <strong>Historic</strong>al Landmark and<br />
is a member of the Texas Bed and Breakfast<br />
Association, an organization of Texas’ finest<br />
inspected and approved bed and breakfasts.<br />
The Whistler celebrated its twenty-fifth<br />
anniversary as a bed and breakfast in 2011.<br />
For additional information, please visit<br />
www.thewhistlerbnb.com.<br />
The Whistler’s polished hardwood floors<br />
and antique furnishings, along with Mary’s<br />
welcoming hospitality, place this home at the<br />
very height of Victorian style and comfort.<br />
S h a r i n g t h e H e r i t a g e ✦ 8 7
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