Menger Hotel, San Antonio

Menger Hotel is a historic hotel in San Antonio which marks the ground of the Battle of the Alamo, currently known as Alamo Plaza. In 1858 William and Mary Menger hired an architect, John M. Fries, along with a contractor, J. H. Kampmann, to build the two-story, 50-room hotel. The Mengers opened their hotel in February 1859 which became an overnight success. Up until that point, most accommodations in San Antonio had been boarding houses, plus some breweries. Plans for the Menger Hotel arose through the popularity of William Menger's own German brewery which he had opened in 1855 on the battle-grounds of the Alamo.

Also in 1859, San Antonio saw the biggest migration of cattle ever known, and was a place for cattle drovers to replenish their supplies while cattlemen sold and bought their livestock. The Menger Hotel thus became a part of the legendary Chisholm Trail. It was a popular meeting place for many cattle barons who called The Menger their home away from home. A Chisholm Trail marker still stands in the beautiful hotel courtyard.

Throughout its history, the Menger Hotel has been the scene for many notable events and seen many important guests. The latter list includes presidents: Ulysses Grant, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, William McKinley, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Johnson, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton; military figures, such as Sam Houston, Robert E. Lee and William Hood Simpson; as well as other public figures, like Oscar Wilde.

The hotel holds the unofficial title of "The Most Haunted Hotel in Texas." It claims to host 32 different spirits including Richard King and Sallie White, a maid at the Menger who was murdered by her husband and buried at the hotel's expense.