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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1986)
Historic homes worth drive By Jay Blinderman What makes the Castle unique is is displayed in some way in the staffwriter amiability as a nightly or home. Guests are free to roam ^ eekend retreat. The three-story about the house and admire the inn has four bedrooms available antiques. Most people driving south on for rent, each fully furnished. Although the Castle is avail- Highway 6 drive right past the The Castle, built in 1893 by able for luncheons and meetings, exit leading to Navasota. Ward Birrell Templeman, was the Urquharts say most of their But for those who take the exit, restored last year by present business comes from the rental the town is full of surprises. owners Helen and Tim Urquhart of the rooms, with a majority of who bought the property two the visitors coming from the Biy- The heyday of Navasota oc- years ago. an/College Station area. It is also curred in the era from 1850 to Tim had been a pilot for Conti- popular as a honeymoon spot, 1900, the time when cotton was nental Airlines for 28 years. they say. king. Cotton is no longer king, '‘Because of the bankruptcy The Castle Inn is not the only and an area that once bustled and the strike I decided to kiss thing to see in Navasota. The with life now rests quietly off the off,” Tim says about his retire- downtown business district is beaten track. But interesting ment from Continental. registered on the state historical sights and relics of the cotton "But I’m not out to pasture, register and antique shops and days have been left behind, some I’ve never worked so hard in my specialty stores line the streets, restored to their original beauty. life.” One business that does not The Castle Inn, now a bed and The Urquharts have collected find its home directly in the breakfast, is one of the more antiques for 30 years and almost downtown area but is still worth beautiful homes in Grimes all of their collection furnishes visiting, is the Texas Basket Fac- countv which has been restored, the bedrooms and living areas, or tory’s Navasota outlet. Duster Fritsche and Mrs. Wilbert Feldman pass the time at the Schroeder Groceiy in Whitehall, just south of Navasota. The store, which serves the surrounding rural community, opened in 1929 and originally stood across die street from the grocery’s current location. The structure which now houses the groceiy was built in 1934. Mrs. Feldman bought the store in 1977. The actual factory and mill op eration is based in Jacksonville, Texas, but some baskets and small wood products are hand made and painted at the Nava sota location. The inside of the outlet is stacked wall-to-wall with every size and shape of bas ket imaginable. The outlet also sells toy items and arts and crafts accesories. Handmade wooden sleds are an other of the many specialty items sold at the basket store. David Woods, an employee of the Navasota outlet, also paints landscapes and Western scenes reminiscent of a time when Texas was almost totally depen dent on agriculture. Woods, who has been commissioned to paint throughout the state, displays a few of his paintings at the basket factory. — 7—