Photograph of the Worthington Inn Before 1901

This photograph shows the building now known as the Worthington Inn during the second half of the 1800s. The original building was constructed in 1833 and consisted of the section from the center door to the right side of the building. It was built by Rensselaer Cowles, husband of Laura Kilbourne Cowles and son-in-law of James Kilbourne, for his family residence. In 1852, an addition by Theodore Fuller doubled the size of the building with the southern addition. This included the second door on the first floor to function as a reception area and three rooms upstairs to serve as hotel rooms, as seen in this image. William Bishop purchased the property in 1854 and was the first to operate the property as a hotel, probably with a livery stable in the rear. He advertised it as the "Bishop House." After a brief ownership by Nicholas Van Loon in 1864, the hotel was purchased by Robert Lewis and renamed the "Union Hotel." George Van Loon acquired the hotel in 1889, and again changed its name, this time to "Central House" and later "Hotel Central." A fire in 1901 led to the remodeling of the building including the addition of the Victorian styling, the third floor ballroom with mansard roof, and the large front porch.