Bloggin’s like a box o’ chocolates….

You never know what you're going to find...or what is going to find you.

As if I wasn't have a great enough weekend already, I received an email today that went to my spam folder. I didn't recognize the address (and neither did AOL's software, obviously), but the subject line concerned the Alba Court Inn. At the risk of opening some sort of scam email, I decided to check it out.

First of all, a little background. Most of you know that Ken and I have a timeshare in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and go there every year. We really do feel as though it's our second home, and we enjoy our visit and the town every time we go. When we first started going, there was a place in town called the Alba Court Inn. It was an old hotel, long abandoned, and of course it captured my imagination, as such places often do. I always speculate that places like that are haunted, but that's just my runaway imagination. If they're haunted by anything, it's memories, or by people like me who wonder about the visitors over the years. Although, one never knows, does one...? [spooky laughter]

I tried to find out some information about the Alba Court Inn, but there wasn't a whole lot out there. I wrote to one of the city officials, and he didn't have much more information for me, other than that the hotel was slated for demolition. We were able to get quite a few pictures before that happened, including of the trashed interior, and he later sent me a few of the actual demolition. Although we know it's been gone for a couple of years now, we still drive by the location. I was saddened to see this time that even the sign is gone. I wrote several times about the place, and you can read those entries here, here, and here. I was able to find a postcard on eBay, and it resides in one of the curio cabinets with other treasures like a nail from John's Modern Cabins on Route 66.

Back to the email. When I opened it, I was delighted to read this:

Dear Beth

I just came across your blog postings at http://nutwoodarchives.blogspot.com/2007/09/alba-revisited.html etc

I am doing some research on the Alba Court Inn, as it was owned in the 1920s by T J Talty, first cousin of my greatgrandfather. When T J died on April 1, 1926, he left a substantial estate but no will. The case became known as the Talty Millions here in Ireland, and my greatgrandfather was one of numerous beneficiaries (first cousins, etc) who shared in the proceeds (more like a quarter of a million dollars in total).

I thought you might be interested in the bits and pieces below which I have come across in my search. If you ever come across any further information on T J Talty or the Alba Court Inn, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Best wishes

Paddy W.

Ireland

==========================================================

In December 1922, the Miami Herald Record in its Business and Hotel Directory of the East Coast of Florida carried regular advertisements for `Alba Court Inn BOTH PLANS

OPEN ALL THE YEAR

REFINED - COMFORTABLE

RATES REASONABLE

WASHINGTON ST. & FAULKNER ST.

T. J. TALTY, PROP.'

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Winter Resort Directory, 1923-24 gives a more detailed description. The Alba Court Inn was one of four establishments in New Smyrna Beach in this directory. It accommodated 75 guests, was half a mile from the local (railway?) depot, was near water, the proprietor was T J Talty and the season ran from November to March.

At http://fulltextt10.fcla.edu/DLData/SN/SN0AAB9617/1925_000/file24.pdf is a directory of New Smyrna (an incorporated city in Volusia county) from Polk's Florida Gazetteer and Business Directory 1925 in which the first entry is: `Alba Court Inn T J Talty prop hotel'

http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/8428/hikeplans/new_smyrna_beach/plannewsmyrna.html says that the Alba Court Hotel, Alba Court Inn, a 26-room hotel, `was built in 1906 by James and Clyde Pennell. The three-story lobby provided cross-ventilation to the guest rooms. Steam heat and gas were supplemented by in-room plumbing added in 1917.'

The hotel address is 114 or 115 Washington Street.

`Maine cottages: Fred L. Savage and the architecture of Mount Desert' by John Morrill Bryan, Fred L. Savage, Richard Cheek (House & Home, 2005) says that by 1911 Herman Savage, brother of Fred, owned the Alba Court Hotel.

According to http://www.myhometownnews.net/index.php?id=32623, the Alba Court Inn, built in 1906, was demolished Abt 19 Oct 2007.

Ballina

Killaloe

Co. Clare

Ireland

~~~~~

How amazing is that? Someone from County Clare, Ireland came across a 2007 entry of a girl from Indiana about an obscure and now-demolished Florida hotel, and he is related to one of the people who owned it. I have responded and asked him if he would like me to send the pictures I have.

As you can imagine, it made my day.