Zoar Hotel - 1833

The famous Zoar Hotel had 40 sleeping rooms and a very large dining room. The hotel accommodated people from all walks of life; multi-millionaires, millionaires, middle class and poor. Even the beggar ate here, although at the other end of the hostelry. President William McKinley was a frequent guest.

The observatory, or tower, reaches from the third floor halls by a winding stairway. It affords a beautiful view of the village. This was considered an ideal place to meditate. When the hotel was built, this tower was opened and encircled by a “Widow’s Walk.” This was a narrow wooden platform with a banister on the outside high enough to prevent anyone from falling. Many years later, the circular room below the tower became the bedroom of Alexander Gunn.

In 1892, a large wing was added to the south side, It contained 50 more sleeping rooms. This addition was dismantled in the late 1940’s, and the building standing today is mostly the original structure. The Zoar Hotel was acquired by the Ohio History Connection. The exterior renovations have been completed, and the interior is currently awaiting renovation. The Zoar Hotel is not currently open to the public.