By Hannah Moroney
The son of a rich coke and coal mine owner rode the train from Memphis, Tenn. to New Albany, Miss. New Albany was a small saw milling town, where most did not have the luxury of electricity or running water. When he arrived in New Albany, he stayed overnight in the rooming house. The next morning, he would catch the train to ride ten miles north to his home at Tippah Lodge.
The man complained that the accommodations in the rooming house were unsatisfactory. New Albany had not yet become a tourist town and had just emerged from Reconstruction, following the Civil War. He called on one of his workers and said, “build me a hotel here in New Albany.” The worker asked what kind of hotel. The man responded, “I stay in good hotels in New York, in Paris, in London. I want a hotel like those.” That man was Paul J. Rainey.
He was a young millionaire and the most eligible bachelor in the area, standing a little over six foot tall and strikingly handsome. Rainey lived lavishly. He bought and built whatever he wanted, including a “damn good hotel,” per his request. But Rainey’s fine hotel would barely stand for a decade.
A fine hotel in New Albany
Plentiful game and hunting land brought Rainey to the rolling hills of North Mississippi where he eventually bought land and built the luxurious Tippah Lodge. Rainey was a man who wore many hats, one of which was host. He was known to throw extravagant parties. Rainey’s friends would travel South to enjoy a little southern hospitality in Tippah County. Eventually, Rainey needed a place close by to house his guests, so he made a request for Hotel Rainey. The request was granted and so began the construction of Hotel Rainey.
Rainey’s hotel was built in 1906. In that day and time there was nothing that could match the quality of Hotel Rainey. It was a three-story building with rows of windows on each side that seemed to go on forever. Rainey had a railroad station built in front of the hotel to accommodate his private Pullman car. The third floor of the hotel housed guests. It was one of the few places where travelers could find electric lighting, steam heat and baths.
Offices belonging to Doctors Eason and Mayes, and local attorneys, Ralph Knox and G. L. Jones were housed on the second floor, along with some guest rooms. The first floor housed T. E. Goodman’s Drug Store, J. L. S. Rogers’ Drug Store, a barber shop, and the Merchants and Farmers Bank. As well as a lobby, large dining room and kitchen.
The decor and design of the hotel was intended to mimic that of European hotels. It had plush rooms and Italian marble floors. Along with an imported European chef who crafted meals for Rainey’s party goers and guests of the hotel. According to a little white menu with green writing, travelers could find “Delicious Food...Reasonably Priced” at Hotel Rainey. Catfish fried in corn meal paired with fried potatoes, or a calf's liver with French fried onions and veggies. It far exceeded the standards of lodging buildings in North Mississippi. Hotel Rainey was the jewel of the town for a little under a decade.
The hotel goes up in flames
Tragedy struck the small town in the wee hours of Thanksgiving Day 1915. A fire, which may have originated in the basement, began to engulf Hotel Rainey, leaving guests narrow escapes.
Dr. Y. J. Butler, an optician, who frequently traveled to New Albany, broke his leg jumping from a window to escape the blaze. E. B. Noble, the proprietor and Aloy Elder had to carry two panic-stricken ladies down the fire escape. Mr. George Booth, a representative of a hardware company, suffered injuries from falling down a flight of stairs while trying to find an exit to the building. The fire quickly progressed, destroying everything inside Hotel Rainey.
One of the three most luxurious hotels in Mississippi was burning to the ground. No amount of money could save the elegance inside the walls of Hotel Rainey. Plush rooms became fuel for the raging fire. Ash from the burning ceilings above rained down on the Italian marble floors. The kitchen where an imported chef crafted meals was gone in a matter of a few minutes.
The small town of New Albany only had a cart with a fire hose rolled on to it to fight the blaze. Hotel Rainey was completely engulfed by the flames, and the makeshift fire truck could never muster enough water pressure to calm the blaze. John Thompson, chief of the fire squad, was injured by falling debris while trying to save the business district from the flames. Wire communication was shut off just before daybreak and outside communications were not restored until almost 9 o'clock. Most of the businesses housed on the first floor did not have any type of insurance to cover the loss of their assets. The damage caused by the fire was estimated at $150,000.
Yearning to rebuild
In 1920, local businessmen rebuilt the Rainey Hotel. The new Hotel Rainey Company was complete with 60 rooms. It was smaller than other hotels, but was built for comfort and convenience for the traveling public. It was a pleasant place for travelers to find a good night's rest in New Albany. The new Hotel Rainey achieved that goal of being a comfort for travelers and an attraction in a newly industrialized town for many years. By 1958, the hotel had become an office space and storage facility, and in 1981, Hotel Rainey was indefinitely destroyed when it burned for a second time.
A vacant parking lot behind city hall. The lamp posts flicker like a lightning bug just as the sun fades behind the horizon. Train tracks make an L-shape on the other side of the lot. One could almost imagine Rainey’s Pullman car steaming to a halt. Once a grand hotel sat where the parking lot is today. Requested by a man with millions of dollars and the need for a hotel in the newly reconstructed New Albany, Mississippi.