Image of Griswold Inn Interior, Upper Hallway

This image of the interior of the Griswold Inn was obtained from a series of negatives converted to digital images. The Griswold Inn stood on the east side of High Street, just north of the Village Green, and was built by Ezra Griswold in 1811 to offer travelers a place to stop. Ezra operated the inn until 1816, when he passed it down to his son, George H. Griswold. The structure was later converted from a tavern and inn into a residence, where Ruth Griswold, the last of the family to occupy the building, lived. Though the Griswold Inn Historical Foundation attempted to raise funds to purchase and restore the inn to use it as the Worthington Historical Society Museum, the building was razed in 1964. Gilbert Coddington, an architect who ultimately helped the Historical Society restore the Orange Johnson House, captured this image series before the demolition of the inn.

This image shows the upper floor of the front hallway. Of note in this picture is the handrail, which was salvaged upon the razing of the Inn. It is now located in the Orange Johnson House on the second story between the 1811 and 1819 portions of the home. The spindles, or balusters, were used to repair the front hall staircase at the Orange Johnson House during the restoration in the late 1960's, which had fallen victim to vandalism. Because the carpentry at the Griswold Inn and the Orange Johnson House matched in size exactly, it is theorized that the same carpenter was involved in the construction of both buildings, both constructed in the 1810's. Finally, the bell seen in over the staircase is now on display at the Huntington Bank that stands on the property once home to the Griswold Inn.