In 1896, R. S. Johnson, a former Texas Ranger, built the two story red sandstone building. The first floor was a saloon with bedrooms upstairs.
In 1904, the three-story Orient Hotel was added.
The Orient was constructed of crude but durable concrete blocks that were produced with hand-operated molding machines.
Each room had a big rug, an iron bedstead, two chairs, a washstand with a large white bowl and pitcher, and a dresser with a mirror.
A “Wash Room” was on the ground floor and a large complete bathroom on both the second and third floors.
Water was supplied by an artesian well behind the hotel. Fortunately, the artesian well had sufficient pressure to supply the top floors with water.
The Orient Hotel was in use until the mid-fifties.
