Headley Inn

Headley Inn. The Historic National Road in Ohio. One of the most beautiful and interesting of the old stopping places is the Headley Inn which provided lodging and refreshment for the westward tide of immigration for 30 years. The Headley Inn dreamed half a century away over rooms stored with fragrant apples and cider and huge heaps of wood. When people came back to the highways in motorcars, the Headley Inn was restored to its original use and became famous along Route 40 – the National Road – for its food and lodging. The Headley Inn was made famous nationally when pictured in one of the great mural paintings in the State of Ohio exhibit at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933.

The 9-room Headley Inn was built in 1802 and enlarged in 1833 with a two-story addition on its east side. The stone walls were constructed of huge blocks of dressed sandstone. The original building consisted of a large basement kitchen built into the slope of a hill plus three rooms opening onto a porch. After the National Road was built, Uzal Headley enlarged his house to accommodate the traveling public. He began to operate the inn and secured a tavern license in 1834. The date stone in the inn’s addition reads 1834. The east room on the ground level was the Barroom, furthest from the living quarters. When railroads were developed, tavern-keeping on the stagecoach roads became unprofitable, and traffic along the old highway ceased. The little towns that had been so prosperous (Pike Towns) went to sleep, the inns were closed, either converted into dwellings, or destroyed.