Martha Washington Inn

Martha Washington Inn
The Martha Washington Inn
General information
Location	150 W Main St., Abingdon, Virginia, USA, 24210
Opening	1935
Owner	United Group
Website
marthawashingtoninn.com

Coordinates: 36°42′35″N 81°58′32″W / 36.7096°N 81.9755°W / 36.7096; -81.9755

The Martha Washington Inn is a historic hotel located in Abingdon, Virginia. Originally built in 1832 by General Francis Preston, hero of the War of 1812, for his family of nine children, over the course of the last 174 years, the building has served as an upscale women's college, a Civil War hospital and barracks, and as a residence for visiting actors of the Barter Theatre. In addition to hotel services, the inn now offers spa treatments.

The Martha Washington Hotel & Spa is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

In 1832, General Francis Preston built the brick residence for his family at a cost of $15,000. The mansion remained in the Preston family possession until 1858, when it was sold at the cost of $21,000 to the founders of Martha Washington College. The college devoted entirely to women operated for seventy years until finally succumbing to the Great Depression. At the time of the Civil War, the college served as the training ground for the Confederate unit, the Washington Mounted Rifles. After various skirmishes between United States and Confederate forces, wounded were brought to the school for treatment. It was also during this time period that the building attained the nickname, "The Martha." Among its post-war alumnae was the valedictorian of the Class of 1880, Nellie Nugent Somerville, who would go on to become the first woman elected to the Mississippi Legislature.