Keene Springs Hotel
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Keene Springs Hotel
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| Nearest city | Keene, Kentucky |
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| Coordinates | 37°56′37″N 84°37′38″W / 37.94361°N 84.62722°WCoordinates: 37°56′37″N 84°37′38″W / 37.94361°N 84.62722°W |
| Built | 1841 |
| NRHP Reference # | 84001636 |
| Added to NRHP | 5 July 1984 |
The Keene Springs Hotel is a rambling wood-frame, two-story Greek Revival-style building built in sections in 1841 by Mason Singleton, Jr. in the hamlet of Keene, near Nicholasville, Kentucky in Jessamine County. He and his wife Nancy owned and operated the hotel and tavern as a resort destination for the white sulphur springs nearby. During the cholera epidemic of 1848–1849 and outbreaks in the early 1850s, residents of Lexington came to the hotel to try to escape the spread of disease in the city. The Singletons operated the hotel until 1857, when they sold it to Alfred McTyre.
After the American Civil War, tourist travel decreased because of the poor economy. F.S. Wilson purchased the hotel in 1868 and operated it as a boarding house through the end of the century. In the 20th century until the 1960s, Wilson family descendants used the structure as a general store and residence.
The hotel is privately owned. A lessee operates a restaurant three days a week and is gradually restoring the building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 1984.
The hotel and tavern were associated with two periods, the development of Jessamine County from 1825 to 1849 and 1850 to 1874. Mason Singleton, Jr. and his wife Nancy (Lafon) Singleton had the hotel built to attract travelers. The main part was styled as a Greek Revival wood-frame house. A two-story extension with additional rooms was added to the west.
During the 1840s and 1850s, the hotel attracted residents from Lexington, about five miles to the northeast, as a resort destination. The discovery of white sulphur water nearby about 1848 increased its desirability as a destination. Visitors came for what were believed to be the medicinal qualities of the springs. The hotel and tavern were part of the growth of facilities in the region to house tourists as well as commercial travelers along the major county roads. Captain G. L. Postlethwait was noted as its congenial host.
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