THE BUNK HOUSE

The Bunk House is an old wooden structure at 602 2nd St. in the Historic District. It was originally used by the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad to house train crews making a change over. League City was halfway between Houston and Galveston so this was a natural location for stopovers for crews.

League City was also a section yard for the railroad which is an area where heavy repairs could be undertaken. Specialized repair crews traveling down to League City to work on the locomotives would also use this as temporary lodging. Because it was constructed of cypress wood it has stood the test of time and numerous hurricanes. Eventually the structure which was originally located near the League City train terminal in what is now League Park was sold by the railroad. That was in the 1955-56 time period. It was probably moved to its current location around that time.

George Barba, a lifelong League City resident says there were three of these buildings. One was purchased by the Ghirardi family and moved to another site in League City. I haven’t found any information about the other building. George was born in 1936 in the building while it was still at its original location in League Park. At the time it was a two-room house with a covered front porch and no electricity. The house had kerosene lanterns and a wood burning stove. In later years Bert Schroeder who owns the Book Haven on Main Street used it as a book storage building. Today it is part of Butler’s Courtyard, a wedding and reception venue, and is one of the areas available for wedding ceremonies. It is a popular backdrop for wonderful wedding photos.

In January of 2021, volunteers from the Society spent two days securing the building. Over the years, the roof had leaked and started to cause structural and interior damage. Large, heavy duty tarps were fastened over the top of the main structure and the addition to prevent water from penetrating through the roof. Plywood over an existing window had pulled away and broken off leaving a very large opening in the back of the building. Debris was cleaned up and the opening was sealed with several sheets of plywood. The building is now secure and water tight until the restoration process begins.