[3] The building was purchased by Alexander Bryan in 1870, who added a second story and rear lean-to addition, transforming the small stagecoach stop/tavern into a ten-room hotel and named it the Waynesville House.

The owner did not make substantial improvements and the hostelry could not compete in amenities with the new motels being built in the area as a result of the nearby reopened and expanding Fort Leonard Wood.

Unoccupied, the building continued to deteriorate through the 1970s, its long and rich history unknown to the transient military population but valued by native residents.

The old hotel, which had been known by several names during the past century, was rechristened the Old Stagecoach Stop and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Interior restoration and the acquisition of the remainder of the historic property, extending to Highway 17, required more than twice the funds of the original purchase price.