Smithville
Bastrop County, Texas
30 00.442' N 97 09.542' W
Directions: Start at the intersection of Olive Street and Second Street in Smithville. The hotel is on the northwest corner of the intersection.

The Pines building was built about 1910 by the Hill family, a prominent early Smithville and Bastrop County family, primarily for use by railroad men and salesmen. The 1915 Sanborn map shows the New City Hotel here, and the first floor held businesses. One-third of the building housed a garage on the East side of the building that would hold 16 cars, known as The City Garage. A dining room was on the west side (structure still there), and was the site of several cafes and many social functions over the years. The Lions Club met in this dining room from 1927 until the hotel closed. In 1995, Dan Rather, then White House Correspondent for CBS News, was the guest speaker for an annual Lions Club dinner. Mr. Rather is married to a Smithville girl, Jean Goebel. The building has been occupied intermittently since its closing in 1968, now being mostly vacant. In 1993, Smithville Boxing Stables occupied the first floor. The current owner operates a shop in the first floor garage area. Information supplied by Carol Snyder.