The Gibson family was among the early settlers of Trinity County, with George Gibson settling in Sumpter in 1857 and later marrying Elzirah Ann White. They and their family moved to Trinity Station, a new railroad and lumber center, in 1872. Their son, James Benjamin "Ben" Gibson Sr. (1863-1937), worked as a land agent for John Martin Thompson's lumber company and later became county surveyor and an entrepreneur. In 1906, he married Jessie Barnes Clegg (1883-1948), and they had four children. After a February 1909 fire destroyed the Holland House Hotel, Ben bought ten town lots at the site facing the train depot and commissioned a two-story, U-shaped, red brick hotel, completed later that year, with its main entrance on Front Street, later Gibson Street and then Railroad Street. The Gibson Hotel had 40 guest rooms, sample rooms for traveling salesmen, a center courtyard with the kitchen, a lobby with a high ceiling and grand double staircase, and a grand dining room popular with business and train passengers. Most second-floor guest rooms faced the front or main streets, while interior rooms were equipped with ceiling fans, gas heaters, and screen doors for ventilation; most rooms had private baths, and communal baths were also available. First-floor space was leased to businesses including the Mansell and Cochran pharmacies, though the Gibson family retained ownership. By 1970 the building had become difficult to maintain and was sold to the First National Bank of Trinity, and in 1980 it was demolished. For decades, it served as a commercial and social hub and as a symbol of progress and prosperity.