Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center

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.

Judge Roy Bean lived a life in which fiction became so intermingled with fact that he became a legend within his lifetime. Basis for his renown were the decisions which he reached in this building as the Law West of the Pecos. Court was held as frequently on the porch, spectators grouped about on horseback, as within the building. Nor was Bean above breaking off proceedings long enough to serve customers seeking services dispensed by the other businesses carried on in his courtroom-home. The Judge’s “law library” consisted of a single volume, an 1879 copy of the Revised Statutes of Texas. He seldom consulted it, however, calling instead on his own ideas about the brand of justice which should apply. This he effectively dispensed together with liberal quantities of bluff and bluster. Since Langtry had no jail, all offenses were deemed finable with Beam pocketing the fines. Drunken prisoners often were chained to mesquite trees in front of the building until they sobered up enough to stand trial. Bean reached a peak of notoreity when, on February 21, 1896, he staged the banned Fitzsimmons-Maher heavyweight title fight on a sand bar in the Rio Grande River, a stone’s throw from his front porch. By holding it on Mexican territory he outwitted Texas Rangers sent to stop the match — and turned a handsome profit for his shrewdness. This building was named the “Jersey Lilly” for the famous English actress Lillie Langtry whom Bean admired and for whom he claimed to have named the town. His lamp frequently burned into the night as he composed letters to her. But he never saw her since her only visit to Langtry occurred in 1904, less than a year after Bean died.

What to Photograph

Judge Roy Bean historical buildings and photo opportunities in Judge Roy Bean Opera House and Saloon available as well as a beautifully maintained desert garden and historic windmill.

The historic Langtry church is right next door.

The Langtry Baptist Church, still in use two Sundays a month.

Where it is:

US 90 – Westbound at State Loop 25 (US 90 W. State Loop 25 at Torres Ave. Langtry, TX 78871)

Maps:

Interactive Google Map

Use the map  + – controls to zoom in and out, click and drag the to move the map, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views.  Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view.

GPS:

Latitude = 29.8139 Longitude = -101.5693

Cost:

Location Contact Information:

Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center Photo Gallery

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Interactive Google Map

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