Help Restore Bumble Bee Lodge after July 4th Flood

Past floods had never breached our driveway, but on July 4th, this monster flood inundated all five homes on the property.

For four generations, the McAshan family has been the steward of a plot of land that holds a few single-room houses and a multi-room home we affectionately named Bumble Bee Lodge between Ingram and Hunt, Texas. The 1st generation even built the first pool in this rural area... it was so large that pilots used it as a landmark! It’s a point of pride that the matriarch of our family, Edith McAshan, was instrumental in founding the Hill Country Arts Foundation, and our family name is shared with their art gallery: the Duncan-McAshan Gallery.

As the water from Bumble Bee Creek merged with the Guadalupe River, which rose more than 30 feet in 45 minutes, every building was filled with water over light switches in some, over doors in others, and even up to the ceiling in one. One of the 4th generation McAshans was there, celebrating the the 4th with friends and family. Thankfully, everyone survived the harrowing experience by standing in the floodwaters on countertops and swimming through broken windows to safety on 2nd-floor loft. Bumble Bee, however, did not fare as well. Unfortunately, one of the homes lost two exterior walls and all five homes were damaged destroying priceless family heirlooms as the flood water took out windows and doors, including in the portion that was part of the original 1890s stone farm house. Original wood floors, walls, appliances, furniture, and even hot water heaters were destroyed. While the shell of the pool survived, the accompanying deck and fence was wiped out. Almost all of Edith McAshan’s paintings were damaged.

With the support of countless volunteers, from multiple faiths, we now have empty rooms stripped to the wall studs and floor joists. Please help us restore this piece of Ingram history. We hope to make new memories for the next four generations, continuing our family legacy at the Hill Country Arts Foundation.

Here is an article on the damage.

This is the article about Edith McAshan.

This is a video a volunteer group took with my Uncle.