‘Hotel that nobody ran’ burned 11 years ago in Beatrice, Alabama

Historic Robbins Hotel in Beatrice, Alabama.

As hard as it is to believe, yesterday (Thursday) marked 11 years since the historic Robbins Hotel burned in Beatrice.

Oct. 12, 2012 fell on a Friday, and it was on that day that, in less than an hour, fire reduced this Beatrice landmark to a pair of chimneys and smoldering porch steps despite the best efforts of firefighters from Beatrice, Monroeville, Peterman and Vredenburgh. Firefighters were called to the 170-year-old structure just before 3 p.m. that day and within an hour almost the entire hotel was on the ground.

Also known as the Robbins-Finklea Hotel, the structure was originally built around 1840 as a one-story home. Daniel and Barbara Bradley Robbins bought the property in 1860, around the time that the War Between the States broke out.

Barbara Robbins converted the home into a boarding house around 1905. After her death, her daughters, Minnie Robbins (affectionately known throughout the community as Miss Minnie) and Rachel Robbins Davison, took over the boarding house and later changed it to a hotel. In 1948, Oliver Burton “O.B.” Finklea bought the building with the intention of a quick sale, but soon discovered that the hotel could practically run itself.

A 1954 article from The Ford Times described the building as having 14 rooms with a fireplace in each, snow white linens, flowers in vases and the covers turned back on the beds. With no general manager, the hotel was known as the “hotel that nobody ran.” Guests registered at a book in the lobby, chose an unoccupied room, and were asked to “leave your dollars on the bed when you check out,” paying $2.50 to $3 per night.

Travelers also enjoyed a meal prepared by Nellie Andress, the only servant at the hotel. After Finklea's death in 1958, the property was threatened with demolition. In 1962, a group of hunters purchased the hotel and it became a private hunting camp. In October 2012, the property was divided among 15 individuals and was used primarily as a place for hunters to stay and for social events.

Years and years ago, I used to cover the Beatrice Town Council meetings when their meetings were held at the old town hall building on Robbins Street. This squat, red-brick building was located next door to the old Robbins Hotel, not far from the railroad tracks that passed through the town. As best that I can remember, the only time I ever went inside the hotel was during a Leadership Now history tour led by the late Al Nettles in 2005.

If you travel down Robbins Street today, you will see a relatively new historical marker that marks the site of the old hotel. This marker was erected earlier this year by well-known Monroe County real estate developer, Jess Martin, who has deep family ties to the Beatrice area.

In the end, it’s always a shame to lose a historical site like the Robbins Hotel, and it falls to us to keep their memory alive. So many years have now gone by that this old hotel has doubtless passed from the memory of many Monroe County residents, especially those who were youngsters in 2012. On the other side of the coin, many in the Beatrice area no doubt retain fond memories of the “hotel that nobody ran.”