Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site is located in Anderson, Texas in Grimes County.
It is located about 73 miles from Houston and makes an excellent day trip from the city.
It is also about 30 miles southeast of College Station.
On a visit to this historic site, you can tour Fanthorp Inn, a 19th-century frontier structure from the era of the Republic of Texas days.
Founded in the 1840s, the inn is an excellent place to learn about the days of stagecoach travel in the Wild West.
Visitors can understand the hardships faced by pioneers in the 1850s.
Fanthorp Inn is a part of the Anderson Historic District and on the National Register of Historic Places.
It offers a great experience to visitors and is a must for history fans or Wild West enthusiasts.
Stagecoach Travel in early Texas
The Republic of Texas was a dangerous place to live.
Violent raids by indigenous groups such as the Comanche were very common.
Travel was full of risks and the travelers had very few choices to get from one place to another.
The most popular way to travel in the early days was the stagecoach.
These were horse carriages that transported multiple people between towns.
Rural inns grew along the stagecoach routes and they offered bed and board to travelers.
Most of these stagecoach stop inns were also homes of pioneer families.
The stagecoach was the most important way to travel well into civil war days and the routes were of military importance to the confederate army.
History of Fanthorp Inn
Fanthorp Inn is one such historic and well known stopping inn from the stagecoach days.
Pioneer Henry Fanthorp and his wife Rachel Fanthorp built Fanthorp Inn in 1834 during the Texas Revolution era.
Fanthorp was an English immigrant who came to Texas in 1832.
He gained permission from Stephen F. Austin to settle in the area and purchased over one thousand acres of land.
Fanthorp built the house on the La Bahia road that passed through the land.
The original building, a small clapboard covered cedar log dogtrot house, had two rooms.
As the stagecoach route became popular, Fanthorp further expanded the family home in 1850 to accommodate overnight guests.
Fanthorp Inn soon became popular and famous.
Apart from being a place to rest for weary travelers, it served various other purposes.
Along with passengers, the stagecoach also carried mail for the residents of the town – and Fanthorp Inn acted as the regional post office.
It was a community center and hosted many dances and parties for locals.
The Inn has also been a polling station.
In its heyday, the country inn and tavern had 18 rooms.
It was well known all over the area.
Many famous Americans stayed here including Sam Houston, Anson James, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses A. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Zachary Taylor.
Sam Houston was especially known as being a frequent visitor to the inn.
Kenneth Lewis Anderson, who was the vice president of the Republic of Texas, died at the Fanthorp Inn in 1845.
The town of Anderson is named after him.
Things to know before visiting Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site
Fanthorp descendants donated the site to the state, which led to its preservation as an important historic site. Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site is open from 10 am to 4 pm on weekends only.
The address of the Fanthorp Inn is 579 S. Main Street.
We recommend keeping aside about 2 hours to see the historic site.
The guided group tours last for about 45 minutes to an hour.
There are no admission fees and the historic site is free to visitors but donations are welcome.
The donations go towards the preservation of the site and are highly recommended.
Things to do at the historic site
Fanthorp Inn is one of the oldest buildings in Central Texas.
Texas Parks and Wildlife purchased the site in 1977 and the inn went extensive renovations to be restored to its 1850s features.
The historic Fanthorp Inn and over 6 acres of land are together maintained as a state historic park.
It is preserved in excellent condition and still has some of the original period furnishings.
Here are some of our favorite things to do at the historic site:
Admire the picturesque building
Fanthorp Inn is a beautiful and romantic structure.
It looks very pretty painted white with a huge tree in the front.
Spanish moss drapes the tree and the white picket fence adds to the charm of the building.
If you visit in the spring, you can also see bluebonnets on the lawn.
The historic building is certainly photogenic and charming.
Picnic tables are located in the park grounds; restrooms are also located nearby.
You can enjoy the surroundings at a leisurely pace.
Take a tour of the Historic Inn
The interior of the inn can be seen on a guided public tour.
Visitors can see the parlor, dining room, and a furnished bedroom.
There are period furnishings everywhere including dinnerware, beds, pots and pans, barrels, ceiling fans, and more.
The tour guides narrate excellent information about the inn and frontier life.
We were fascinated by learning that meals and beds cost just $1.5 in those days!
The tours also take visitors to the second floor. However, this is not accessible.
It is a great experience to see the rustic living conditions and imagining life in early Texas.
See the stagecoach in Fanthorp Inn Barn
Outside the Fanthorp Inn, you can see the Fanthorp Inn Barn.
Inside you can see an authentic replica of a vintage Concord-style stagecoach from the 1850s.
This distinctive stagecoach is an icon of the Old West.
The stagecoach has beautifully upholstered seats and looks roomy and grand.
It is painted red with yellow wheels and looks very impressive.
Experience a stagecoach ride
Once every month, Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site organizes Stagecoach Days.
Usually, the day is held on the second Saturday of each month.
On these days visitors can ride the historic stagecoach.
A team of 4 mules pulls the carriage.
Rides begin at the Grimes County Courthouse.
The ride takes you through downtown Anderson, circles the courthouse, and makes your way back to the inn.
It is a memorable experience to drive up to the inn in the horse-drawn historic Concord coach.
On the Stagecoach Days special events, volunteers are dressed up in pioneer costumes and period clothing.
They reenact life in the 1850s.
Musicians play Appalachian dulcimers on the porch.
There is old fashioned dancing and a unique atmosphere.
It feels like going back in time to frontier days.
Attend Twilight Firelight at Thanksgiving
Christmas and the holiday season is a great time to visit Fanthorp Inn and experience frontier festivities.
Twilight Firelight is one of the most popular holiday events in the Brazos area.
The event is held on Saturday after Thanksgiving.
During the festival, you can enjoy a stagecoach ride and candlelit public tours of Fanthorp Inn.
You can listen to period music, attend a barn dance, and enjoy early Texian festivities like in the 19th century.
Visit the cemetery
Opposite the Fanthorp Inn, a small walking path goes to the cemetery.
Here you will find the graves of Henry and Rachel Fanthorp who died of yellow fever in 1867.
Kenneth Lewis Anderson is also buried in the cemetery.
Things to do near Fanthorp Inn
There are many other things to do and see near the historic site.
Add them to your itinerary to plan an excellent day trip in Central Texas.
See the Grimes County Courthouse
In the center of Anderson, you will find the striking Grimes County Courthouse.
The courthouse was restored in 2002 and is beautiful to see.
We enjoy walking around the courthouse and admiring its unique features including the double-sided staircase.
Photograph the music mural in Navasota
Navasota, located about 10 mi away from Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site, is known as the Blues Capital of Texas.
Along with music the city also has many beautiful murals.
One of the most popular ones is the Navasota music mural which pays homage to the many entertainers born in Navasota.
Visit Washington on Brazos State Historic Site
Washington-on-Brazos State Historic Site is located just 20 miles away from Fanthorp Inn.
This is the place where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed and the Republic of Texas was born.
The site is as important as the Alamo in San Antonio and should be on your Texas bucket list.
On a visit to the historic site, you can see Independence Hall and the Republic of Texas Museum.
The republic museum is a great place to learn Texas history including the Battle of San Jacinto.
A homestead is also located on the site and is open for tours.
See the Six Flags Over Texas Monument
Also in Navasota, you will find the Six Flags Over Texas Monument.
Here you can see the six flags of nations that once ruled over the modern-day state of Texas.
An interpretive timeline narrates over 500 years of Texas’s history.
Seeing the flags flutter is an amazing experience.
The monument is also an excellent way to introduce kids to Texas history.
We hope you liked our guide to Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site, a historic hotel in Anderson, Texas.