Hermitage Motor Inn

The Hermitage Motor Inn has been in business since 1881. Before 1904 it was called the Taylor Hotel. Over the years statesmen, judges, and lawyers regularly stayed at the hotel while they were in Petersburg for court business. The hotel is a neighbor to the Grant County Courthouse. Tourists, hunters, and fishermen stayed at the hotel as guests. No other hotels in the immediate vicinity have existed continuously for over a century. The hotel was called the Cunningham and later the Taylor hotel in the 19th century.

The building was constructed during 1840-41 period by local slaves who used bricks fired on the site. Jacob Kenny Chambers was the original owner of the Inn. During the Civil War the building housed federal troops. Military mountain climbers trained at Seneca Rocks during World War II, and they stayed at the hotel while in town as well. The structure is a Victoria-era style and has a 2-tiered porch with sawn trim. In the 20th century a third story of brick was added, which changed the proportion of the building. The two story porch with turned posts and balusters were also part of the update the building received at that time.  ₁