Bed and Breakfast

Historic Bed and Breakfast Inns Trace Ohio’s Past

Story Published on May 3, 2008 ⋅  Email this Story ⋅  Print this Story ⋅ Post a comment ⋅

We have searched the Bed and Breakfasts of the Buckeye State and found the Most Historic Inns in Ohio. The list features historical sites that let travelers experience a piece of Midwestern history from an architectural perspective.

Civil War History

Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, The Hallauer House Bed and Breakfast in Oberlin is filled with Civil War history. The 1830s Greek Revival home, located a short drive from Oberlin College, is decorated with artifacts from the war era. The three guestrooms include the Union Room, the Confederate Room and the Mason-Dixon room, and each is decorated in period style with touches such as Civil War uniforms. The home also has a secret cut-out section of floor covering an alcove that presumably once protected slaves escaping the South. Guests who opt for the inn’s History Buff Package can hear stories of the war and Underground Railroad from innkeeper Joe Woodward, as well as receiving a book, tickets to the Oberlin Heritage Center, and a handmade Civil War penny rug.

The founders of the 1830 Bailey’s House in Georgetown were Ulysses S. Grant’s friends and neighbors and legend has it that Grant landed his spot at West Point after hearing that his neighbor Bart Bailey had resigned. There are three antique-filled rooms to choose from and the inn is close to the covered bridges and quilt barns that make Brown County unique.

Visit Springboro’s Oldest House

Listed in the National Register and built in 1815, the Wright House Bed and Breakfast is the oldest home in Springboro and was built for the town’s founder. The home also served as part of the Underground Railroad. The historic dcor features items such as a player piano and pump organ. Guest rooms are decorated with antiques, and one guest bath includes an antique clawfoot tub.

Back to the Future

Perhaps the oldest well-preserved historic inn is the Golden Lamb, circa 1803. The inn’s restaurant is located in the original part of the building while 18 guest rooms are found throughout the property in various additions made up till the mid-17th Century. 12 presidents of the United States, including John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren have visited the inn as well as writers Charles Dickens, Daniel Webster and Mark Twain.

Travel Back in Time

Rider’s 1812 Inn was built along the stagecoach route from Buffalo, New York to Cleveland, Ohio, and hosted everyone from runaway slaves to returning Civil War veterans, but was also home to a speakeasy that was added in 1922. Guests can still enjoy authentic meals prepared from nineteenth-century recipes in Mistress Suzanne’s Dining Room. Ohio Innkeepers are always ready to lend their knowledge on where to find museums, take a carriage ride, or find treasures in one of the Buckeye State’s many antique malls. (They might also warn visitors not to actually eat a Buckeye. It looks like a chestnut, but it’s poisonous to anyone but a squirrel. Try the state’s popular peanut butter and chocolate replica instead.)

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