Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center  > The c. 1930 Hull-Daisetta Rotary Building (this page)

The c. 1930 Hull-Daisetta Rotary Building

The Hull-Daisetta Rotary Building served as the meeting place for the Hull-Daisetta Rotary Club.  Chartered in 1926 when an oil boom was bringing people to the area, the Hull-Daisetta Rotary Club met in various locations around Hull, Texas for the first few years of its existence.  Rotary clubs did not typically build their own facilities.  The service club had been established in Chicago during 1905 with members “rotating” the meeting sites from business to business.  The Hull-Daisetta group broke with tradition in 1927 and raised funds to construct a unique, hexagonal-shaped log cabin for their meetings and events.

Wives of the Rotarians, called Rotary Anns, raised half the money for the project.  A May 1932 article in The Rotarian described the building as “a log cabin, built, in part, by extra fifty-cent fees at weekly luncheon sessions.”  The building’s unusual six-sided structure mimics the design of the Rotary International symbol, the wheel.  Local residents also used the cabin for celebrations and special events.  After the club disbanded in 1982, ownership changed hands, and the condition of the building deteriorated over time.

In 2006, the community set out on a mission to recover the building and preserve its legacy in a historical context.  Several individuals and organizations worked to move the structure to its current site and support its renovation.  Now, the building is home to an exhibit showcasing the heritage of Rotary clubs and community service in Southeast Texas.  Many of the artifacts featured in the exhibit were recovered from the original Hull-Daisetta Rotary Building and are on display along with archival materials from the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center’s collections.  The restored structure creates the ideal setting to reflect upon the mission of Rotary to inspire friendship and improve communities through selfless service.