[2][3] The original building was a log structure, built in the 1780s or 1790s,[1][4] that served travelers passing through the area on the Great Stage Road.

The front of the building has three entrance doors and 13 windows whose glass panes are arranged in a nine-over-six configuration.

[3][5] Notable people who are recorded as having stayed at the inn in its early history include Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, the Marquis de LaFayette (on his U.S. travels in 1824–25), and Louis Phillipe Orleans, King of France.

[6] At some time during the Pearson family ownership, the inn building housed a post office.

[7] The inn is managed by the Sullivan County Historical Preservation Association and is open for group tours.