Built in 1867, the Racecourse Hotel, on the corner of Barwon Heads and Marshalltown Roads was the second hotel in Marshall. Nathaniel Jones was the licensee. In 1877 Wilfred Smith became the next owner. He sold it to Patrick Rice in 1883. During 1883, while Richard Dalton was licensee, it was destroyed by fire. Soon after the fire it was rebuilt by Patrick Rice who took over the lisence himself. The hotel was then run by his daughters, Hannah and Kathleen, until it closed in 1960. They lived at the hotel until they died in 1970. In their will, the sisters donated all their money, the hotel and ten acres to the Roman Catholic Trusts Corporation, to help establish a rest home for ladies in need. Rice Village, the final outcome, was named after the Rice family as a mark of gratitude. |