Selma's 1837 St. James Hotel reopens on the Alabama River

Few hotels have a back story like the St. James in Selma, Alabama. It has stood above the Alabama River since 1837, and is described as the only riverfront antebellum hotel left in the country. Its history runs deep: Benjamin Sterling Turner, an enslaved man who managed the hotel, kept it going through the Civil War and later became Alabama's first African American congressman. Legend puts Jesse James among later visitors, and generations on, civil rights marchers made history a few steps from its front door.

Now it has reopened with 55 rooms, run by Spire Hospitality and joining Marriott's Series collection, only the ninth hotel under that fairly new banner. Expect familiar comforts rather than period theatre: good beds, desks, wifi and river views from many of the rooms, plus a restaurant, a gym, meeting space, breakfast and parking. General manager Cymethia Rudolph says the hotel "belongs to Selma", and is pleased its owners are Alabamians.

This comes from a press release, so there's little detail on the restoration itself. The real draw is the setting: the Edmund Pettus Bridge1, the National Voting Rights Museum2 and the Old Town Historic District are all within walking distance. A sensible base for anyone following the US Civil Rights Trail.

Our summary of a story from Hotel Online, published 7 October 2026. Read the original