The Rainey Hotel Site

From Microsoft's TerraServer

   Before he built his private railroad siding, Mr. Rainey would come from the East to Memphis and then to New Albany by train. Then he
had an overnight wait until he could catch a train for the ten miles to his estate. In New Albany he spent the night in a boarding house,
and the conditions were not to his liking. So one day he called one of his men and said, "Build me a hotel in New Albany."
   When the fellow asked what kind of hotel Rainey replied, "I stay in good hotels in New York, in Paris, and in London. I want a hotel like
those."
   The Rainey hotel must have been a fabulous building, especially for its then remote location. Italian marble was imported for the floors,
and a chef was brought to America to provide the meals for its guests. At this time, the turn of the century, it was one of the three most
luxurious hotels in Mississippi. Although the original hotel was destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt after Rainey's death and named in his
honor.
 
 
 

© Tom Coltharp