The Carrollton Inn

The Carrollton Inn has a long and colorful history.  It began in the early 1800s in then what was Port William (the tavern thrived during the flatboat era).  In 1938, as steamboats began to appear on the river, the growing village changed its name to Carrollton to honor a prominent citizen, Charles Carroll.  Carrollton became a prosperous river town as a steamboat landing and provided an ideal midway stopping point between Louisville and Cincinnati.  Soon after the Civil War, the tavern was sold to Mrs. M.B. and  Mr. J.M. Houghton.  In 1801, the tavern was destroyed by a major flood.  The Houghtons, hoping to avoid similar disasters, rebuilt at Third and Main Streets in what became known as the Houghton House.

For the next 50 years, the inn thrived as a popular restaurant and hotel.  The building remains much the same today.  The kitchen and dining room are in the same locations.  The present lounge was a parlor and 20 sleeping rooms were on the upper two floors.  Each room today features Thomasville cherry furnishings, big screen televisions and a private brass and marble bathroom unlike when a common bath facility served each floor.

Around 1905, Mr. and Mrs. Day purchased the inn changing the name to the Richmond Hotel.  Although the steamboat landing was soon closed, the inn remained popular due to the new transportation invention - the automobile.  The Roaring Twenties were a peak period for the inn as dancing and fine dining made it the center of local social life.

The Depression, War, Motels and finally I-71 took their toll, and by the 1960’s the Inn served only as a rooming house and bus station.  Mrs. Helen Evans sold it in the early 1970s after having owned the inn for nearly 30 years.  In 1982, after a year-long restoration, the inn was reopened and renamed the Carrollton Inn, once again furnishing the finest food and accommodations in the area.