The Sheridan Livery Inn, 1887

The Sheridan Livery Inn, 1887. Historic Lexington. The Sheridan Livery Inn was built in 1887 by John Sheridan, an Irish immigrant who had fought in the Civil War and become a prominent local businessman and civic leader. He marked the date and the purpose of the building with two decorative keystones that still center the arches over the original carriage doorways. Sheridan had the contract for mail delivery and for the stagecoach line between Lexington, Staunton and Hot Springs. He also boarded, rented and sold horses. The Model T eventually brought a decline to his business and he sold it in 1919 to Rockbridge Steam Laundry Corporation. They converted the carriage doors to windows, added a section to the rear, and ran the community's laundry for fifty-one years. In 1973 a group of local businessmen converted the building into an indoor mall of small shops, and in 1994, another immigrant family, Ugo and Gina Benincasa, bought it, did an extensive interior renovation, carefully preserved the exterior, and converted the building into a restaurant and inn. . This historical marker was erected by Historic Lexington Foundation. It is in Lexington Virginia