1895 & 2015 -- Judge Roy Bean Opera House, Langtry TX
N 29° 48.552 W 101° 33.655
14R E 252492 N 3300394
Two photographs taken 120 years apart of Judge Roy Bean's home, which he called The Opera House.
Waymark Code: WMPNNN
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/27/2015
Views: 4
In the 1960s, Judge Roy Bean's descendants gave the historic buildings in Langtry, their family photographs, and the Judge's personal property to the State of Texas to share with the world. Soon afterwards, the Texas Highway Department opened a rest area here, centered around Judge Roy Bean's Jersey Lilly Saloon and his home, which he called The Opera House.
What had been a humble rest area was quickly expanded and renovated, as tourists flocked to see the things associated with "The Law West of the Pecos."
Today, features a full fledged Tourist Information Center, modern restrooms, picnic areas, and landscaping, enjoyed by 70,000 tourists a year who venture to an otherwise desolate corner of Val Verde County.
The historic photo of the Opera House was taken around 1895. It shows famous Texas figure Judge Roy Bean in a mule wagon in front of his famous home. This photo is located inside the Tourist Information center, and is used courtesy of the Texas Department of Transportation.
The 2015 photo of Judge Roy Bean's Opera House was taken by Mama Blaster.
For more on the Judge Roy bean sites here, see the Texas Pecos Trail guide : (
visit link)
"BEAN
Folklore legend Judge Roy Bean arrived in Texas during the Civil War, showing up in San Antonio after troubles booted him out of Chihuahua, Mexico, then California (both San Diego and San Gabriel), and finally Mesilla, New Mexico. Bean spent a number of years on South Flores Street in the Alamo City, earning the location the nickname “Beanville”, and avoiding both creditors and the law, and all the while annoying his business competitors. An escape across the Pecos River landed him at the heart of the railroad construction boom where tracks from the east were moving at a furious pace (courtesy of Chinese labor) to meet tracks arriving from the west. Ever the opportunist, Bean established his Jersey Lilly saloon, helping to stir an already roiling pot of lawlessness, before capturing the position of justice of the peace, permanently securing his place in Texas folklore. Today, the Jersey Lilly and the opera house Bean built in honor of his long-distance, unrequited (and one-sided) romance with English singer Lillian Langtry, combine to create the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center, a Texas Department of Transportation rest stop for heritage and curious travels tackling the long stretch of Highway 90 between Del Rio and Sanderson."