B&B For Sale

Historic Texas bed and breakfast with a cigar factory past goes on sale for $1.2 million

Editor's Note: Houston and the surrounding areas are loaded with must-have houses for sale in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. In this continuing series, CultureMap snoops through some of the best and gives you the lowdown on what's hot on the market.

A country-chic, top-rated bed and breakfast is up for sale in Round Top, with options for a buyer to continue to run it as a business or make it a family vacation compound — or a combination of both — all the while enjoying a relaxed lifestyle in this antique haven. Let's take a visit to the renowned Round Top Inn.

A Bit of History
In the 1880s, German immigrant Charles H. Schiege constructed three of the six buildings on the site, now known as 407 S. White St. Here, Schiege operated the Schiege Cigar Factory until the 1930s, distributing his popular hand-rolled cigars — including the Texas Star and LaRosa Suprema — across Texas. The cigar master provided housing for his employees, and factory workers ate their meals with the Schiege family.

The inn has honored that tradition of Texas hospitality for 20 years by serving guests a home-cooked breakfast each morning in the Cigar Factory.

After three generations of Schiege family members, preservationist Hazel Ledbetter of Houston purchased and restored the Main House in 1965, which was then owned by philanthropist Faith Bybee and the Texas Pioneer Arts Foundation. In 1991, Ted and Sandy Reed of Houston carefully refashioned all of the accommodations.

David Athey, a Houston native, bought and updated the entire property in 2008, bringing his vision of a luxury countryside inn to life, while also staying true to the site’s history.

Walk Around
The inn pairs modern amenities with rustic charm, offering guests a cozy stay in picturesque surroundings within walking distance of town square. Beautifully restored guest rooms and cottages are nestled among majestic oak trees and manicured grounds on this one-acre compound.

Built in 1885, the two-story Main House is the largest residence on the property, featuring two individual guest suites upstairs and living quarters for the former innkeeper downstairs. The Farm House is complete with a sprawling front porch and plenty of rocking chairs. An adorable two-story, salt-box-style abode, the Gate House offers two bedrooms, while the Little Cottage is a private retreat on its own with a king-sized bed and full bathroom with a Jacuzzi/shower.

Located over the Cigar Factory, the Bunk Room is a loft with a queen-sized bed, twin bed and a full private bathroom. Appointed with antiques, artwork and distinctive personal touches, no two rooms are alike.

A spacious Retreat Center is perfect for reunions, birthdays, luncheons or private parties. Facilities are connected by hand-laid rock sidewalks, and designated parking makes for easy access to all structures.

Square footage: Five residences and a retreat center on about one acre

Asking price: $1,225,000

Listing agent: Walter Bering, Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

Lights out at Round Top Inn..for now. A very special property extending a welcome to future owners.

On the Market Round Top Inn February 2014 farm

Photo by © Ben Hill TK Images

Lights out at Round Top Inn..for now. A very special property extending a welcome to future owners.

unspecified

Celebrity listing

Country star Miranda Lambert lists Texas childhood home for $1.6 million

18621 Country Rd 477-1, Lindale Miranda Lambert childhood home

Photo courtesy of Compass

Miranda Lambert's childhood homestead, at 18621 Country Rd. 477, in Lindale, Texas is for sale.

The 25-acre childhood homestead of country music star Miranda Lambert — whose popular ballad “The House That Built Me” very well could apply to the Grammy winner’s upbringing — is on the market in East Texas for nearly $1.6 million.

According to Mansion Global, Lambert and her parents, Beverly and Rick, have listed the estate nearly 30 years after the family bought the main residence there.

She and her family moved into the house when she was 14 years old. Lambert lived there till age 21, when she relocated to the adjacent “pink house,” which she purchased with money from her first big record deal.

Lambert still owns the “pink house,” and her parents have vacated the primary home but still own everything except their daughter’s house, Mansion Global reported. The property is in Lindale, about 120 miles east of Fort Worth.

Miranda Lambert received the 2023 TMAA for achievement in music and songwriting. Photo by Taylor Prinsen Photography

The main attractions at the four-bedroom, five-bathroom, 103-year-old property are its two cottage-style homes, stocked three-acre pond, and shooting range.

“The main residence showcases hardwood flooring, built-in cabinetry, textured walls, and vintage details that add character throughout,” says the listing from Lee Trowbridge of Compass. “Light-filled living spaces connect naturally to porches, decks, and courtyard areas, offering comfortable transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces.”

The second home offers views of the pond and its own outdoor areas.

The property, an old dairy farm at 18621 County Road 477, also includes:

A soaking tub in the primary bathroom.
An outdoor kitchen.
A brick courtyard.
A warehouse.
A shop with a bathroom and living quarters.
Three RV hookups.

“Experience this rare opportunity to enjoy land, water, multiple residences, and a piece of music history in a setting that feels both quiet and connected,” the listing says.

Part of Lambert’s music history is the 2009 song about “The House That Built Me,” which Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin originally wrote for her first husband, country music star Blake Shelton.

When you read some of the lyrics of that tune, you can picture a young Lambert at the Lindale home:

I know they say you can’t go home again

I just had to come back one last time

Ma’am, I know you don’t know me from Adam

But these handprints on the front steps are mine

Up those stairs in that little back bedroom

Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar

And I bet you didn’t know under that live oak

My favorite dog is buried in the yard

Lambert maintains strong ties to her hometown. There, she owns the Pink Pistol boutique, located on Miranda Lambert Way, according to Mansion Global. The tasting room for Red 55 Winery, which Lambert and her family started in 2005, is attached to the boutique.

Photo courtesy of Compass

Miranda Lambert's childhood homestead, at 18621 Country Rd. 477, in Lindale, Texas is for sale.

celebrities miranda lambert country music east texas luxury home-for-sale