This historic Galveston bed and breakfast was built in 1887, and it features period details such as woodwork, pocket doors, walk through windows, plaster archways, 14-foot ceilings, stained glass windows, and an impressive main staircase. It also provides luxurious accommodations. In addition to the exquisite guest rooms, you can take advantage of the hotel’s verdant gardens, spacious parlors, and calming front porch.

The neighborhood was not developed until a relatively late point in the 19th century, despite the fact that the land on which the house is situated was located close to some of Galveston’s most prestigious Victorian residential areas. The land was referred to as “low ground” and “poor” in the 1880 Tax Assessor’s Abstract because it fronted on a finger of Hitchcock Bayou. This was the reason for this designation. After the bayou was filled in and the neighborhood was developed in 1885, there was finally an increase in the property values.

Howard and Minnie Carnes were among the pioneers who established themselves in the community by building one of the earliest homes there. In April of 1886, the Carnes family made the purchase of the land on which their future home would be built. The construction of the house was finished in 1887 at a cost of $5000.

The prominence of the Morgan Line is reflected in the high quality of the Carnes Home, which was built by Carnes when he was working as the cashier. In the year 1858, the company began transporting passengers and goods via steam packets between Galveston, New Orleans, and New York. The Morgan fleet consisted of 15 side-wheel steamers by the time the 1860s came to a close. One thousand people were working at the Morgan terminal in 1901, which was located on Pier 21, which is now the site of the Texas Seaport Museum.

The Carnes family continued to live in the house until 1894, when it is believed that Mr. Carnes was transferred to Mexico by the Morgan Line. The land was eventually sold to Paul and Bridget Shean, an Irish immigrant coppersmith and his wife, who had relocated to Galveston from New Orleans in 1872. They purchased the property.

In 1874, Shean transformed his coppersmithing business into a mill supply house. Twenty years later, he transformed his mill supply house into The Paul Shean Sanitary Plumbing & Mfg Co., a plumbing supply company. They could be found at 2021-2023 the Strand, and when telephones were first introduced, they were given number 20 for theirs. More than 125 years later, the business is still operational and can be found at the 45th Street location of the BLP Mobile Paint Decorating Center.

The house suffered only minor damage as a result of the Great Storm of 1900. In point of fact, the entirety of the block sustained very little damage, with the exception of the blue house that is located on the southwest corner of 19th Street and Avenue M. It proceeded to float down the street unharmed before coming to a stop in front of this house. It was relocated to the spot where it had been found originally.

Paul Shean passed away in 1915, and his will stipulated that his wife and two daughters should inherit his property. Because William Eicher was married to Joan Shean, the Sheans’ daughter, the family decided to give him the role of agent and manager of the family business. Bridget Shean passed away in 1935, having spent her final years in the house she had shared with her daughter and son-in-law.

Together with her husband William, Joan Eicher remained a resident of the house until her passing in 1962. When William passed away three years later, he left all of the benefits from the estate to three different schools: Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ursuline Academy in Galveston, and Kirwin High School in Galveston. In December of 1965, the house was one of the items that was sold as part of the estate settlement. Before being purchased by the current owners in October 2019, the property went through a number of different ownership transitions.

The Inn provides additional lodging options, including The Cottage and The Carriage house, which are situated just behind the main property in the lovely gardens. These accommodations are ideal for guests who value their privacy.