Photograph of the Old Worthington Inn

This photograph shows the building now known as the Worthington Inn as it appeared in the early-to-mid 1950s, when it was leased by George A. Snyder and known as the "Old Worthington Inn." The building is located at 649 High Street on the street’s west side, and this photo was taken from the southeast corner of the intersection of High Street and New England Avenue. Visible in the photo just north of the Inn are a Kroger Grocery Store (originally built in 1890 by Frank W. Bishop and operated as the Bishop & Lewis General Store) and the Worthington Hardware Company next door (on the right edge of the image).

First built as a residence for Rensselaer W. and Laura Kilbourn Cowles in the early 1830s, this building has undergone several changes in name, owner, and appearance over the decades. Its original form was a fraction of its current size and consisted of the section from the center door to the right side of the building. The first major addition to the building was completed under the ownership of Theodore Fuller in 1852; the building was sold in 1854 to William Bishop, who was the first to utilize it as a hotel (the "Bishop House"). Fire damage to the upper floor of the building in 1901 led to repairs and renovations by then-owners George and Nellie Van Loon, including the addition of a third-floor ballroom, balcony, and mansard roof that remain intact.