The grand historic Victorian structure that is now the Woodbine Inn and Restaurant was built in 1904 as the Shapira Hotel. This beautiful and stylish turn-of-the-century building has been serving Madisonville (and travelers) as a hotel and restaurant for over 100 years. The building entered the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and became a Texas landmark in 1982, with 8 guest rooms, 2 parlors, a restaurant and pub, private event room, and landscaped grounds. The Woodbine Inn and Restaurant is an easy two-hour drive from Houston, Dallas, or Austin. The property is located one block from the city of Madisonville’s downtown square.
Our refined-casual dining restaurant, which is open to the public, serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday and brunch on Sunday. Private parties/weddings can also be booked in our beautifully decorated Victorian tea room, the pub, or a private dining room.
Our comfortable guest rooms, with private bathrooms, are tastefully decorated in the Victorian style. Guests can enjoy complimentary continental breakfast.
The landscaped grounds with a lighted fountain courtyard, a lighted gazebo, and a firepit seating area also lend to the overall splendor.
Our History
The reconstruction era from 1865 to 1877 brought a new wave of displaced settlers into the area, and it was at this time that Madisonville began to prosper and emerge as the commercial center for Madison in surrounding counties. Built in 1904, the current Woodbine Inn and Restaurant was originally the Shapira Hotel. Jake and Sarah Shapira, Jewish Russian immigrants, came to Madisonville in the 1870s. Jake owned a dry goods store on the town square and ran a saloon in a building located behind the store. Relocated to the Woodbine property in 1920, the saloon (then known as the Brimberry house) is the oldest building in the county, circa 1870. Their boarding house, located on the same site as the current hotel, provided overnight accommodations for salesman and travelers and a social center with dining and entertainment facilities for farmers, ranchers, townspeople, and later, oilmen. The town had just completed a new courthouse, one of the tallest and most imposing in Texas. The railroad had been surveyed and was being built with the depot behind the Shapira property, and a new bank building was being constructed 2 doors from the hotel site on North Madison Street.
The hotel burned to the ground in 1903, but the Shapiras decided to rebuild. Though built in the 20th century, the new structure was a statement of Victorian construction techniques and stylistic ornament. The hotel is a landmark for the area and remains the largest home in the county. It is constructed of two “kit houses” purchased in either St. Louis or Kansas City probably from Sears & Roebuck. The Eastlake house and the Queen Anne Victorian house face each other joined by an upstairs and downstairs parlor. The hotel originally had 24 boarding rooms where guests were treated as family during their stay, and Sarah, continuing to display her cooking talents, served meals on a large oak table that seated 26. Only the owner suite had indoor plumbing. Guests used the outhouses and bath houses located in the back with tub water heated in the kitchen. Eventually, plumbing was added to a few rooms, but many were small rooms. The telephone also came to Madisonville in 1904, and the town’s original telephone booth was located at the hotel. At the time, it was the only telephone available to the townsfolk (the booth has now been donated to the Madison County Museum). The Shapiras maintained the family’s reputation for excellence until 1922, when the decision was made to move to Crockett where one of their sons had purchased a hotel on the square.
Leased to various operators for several years, Clara Wills purchased the hotel in 1929 and changed the name to the Wills Hotel. The hotel underwent a major renovation in the mid-1930s that altered the porches and covered the original wooden walls with protective siding. The depression, a World War, the abandonment of the rail line to Madisonville and the new focus on Interstate travel and motels all led to the demise of the property. They closed to guests in 1974 and moved out in 1978.
Over the years, the property has undergone a plethora of renovations under the watchful eyes of several different owners and name changes as well. In 1979 the building was completely restored to its original condition and function, saving it from demolition. It now proudly boasts such features as 12,000 handcrafted “fish scale” cedar siding, a standing seam metal roof, restored native virgin yellow pine woodwork and original decorative plinth blocks with bluebonnets above each doorway and windows. Beautiful porches wrap around upstairs and down along the front and back of the building. The second floor is reached by a prominent staircase that is adorned with large carved newels and turned balusters and ascends to the second floor with a full turn and landing, which wraps the open stairwell. The building was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and became a Texas historic landmark in 1982.
The hotel was purchased in December 2021 by the Emanuellis and renamed the Woodbine Inn and Restaurant. Another major renovation and refurbishing took place with the building’s commercial kitchen, interiors, exterior, and grounds, which has created an inviting experience for their guests.
Michael and Denise warmly welcome friends and guests to continue this historic saga, to build new memories, to capture fresh images of celebrations and friendships, and to enjoy new experiences around the table with good food and good friends. The refurbished outdoor seating, the newly installed fountain, and the meticulous landscaping will provide a peaceful setting as guests sip wine and savor the culinary offerings of the day.
The Woodbine has played an integral part in the fabric of Madisonville life over the years and is without a doubt woven into the hearts and memories of many of its families. If one would but look in the photo albums through past years, you would find family gatherings, birthday celebrations, weddings, and community events all set against the backdrop of this historical and beautiful structure.
