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History of the Highland Inn

Silas W. Crummett, Proprietor

The Proprietors, an overview

Former Proprietor history begins with Silas W. Crummett the builder.  Mr. Crummett brought much anticipation and excitement to Highland County with the building of his hotel.  In later years he was devastated by the death of his daughter and had a very sad ending.  He was followed by the Pattersons and their years of ownership show the hotel as a lively social venue.
The Carwells were the next owners and the short time they owned the Inn were tragic and mysterious: There was a fire followed by the poisoning death of Mrs. Carwell in 1919, and the subsequent disappearance and death of Mr. Carwell.  Charlie Pullin, the well-known brother of Mrs. Carwell who ran the local bus service, was a partial owner from the Carwell purchase until the 1930’s.  Mr. Boggs of Franklin, WV owned and leased the hotel to operators through the 1920’s.
The Great Depression brought the hotel on to the auction block and the Showalters eventually purchased it.  Mrs. Nellie Showalter, described as a no-nonsense but warm-hearted lady, competently ran the hotel for 30 years.  Her perseverance was probably instrumental in preserving the hotel for our generation.  In 1969 Mrs. Showalter died and her heirs sold the Monterey Hotel, as it was then known, to the Willis’s who owned it for eight years.  Ill-fated Developers purchased the hotel in 1977.  The Developers hired Virginia architect Wally Mills for preservation work and he oversaw the restoration and the addition of bathrooms to all guestrooms.  In 1981, the hotel was sold at auction to the entrepreneurial and somewhat controversial George Sanders who finished the hotel’s restoration and renovation.  The hotel re-opened in 1982 as The Highland Inn.  Between 1985 and 1987, the Highland Inn went through three owners including the local bank before being purchased by John and Joanne Crow who are remembered by the hotels current guests as bringing the hotel a warmer and more gracious atmosphere.
This style was expanded and improved upon by their successors, Michael Strand and Cynthia Peel who purchased the hotel in 1990. Their 12 years of ownership brought new stability to Highland County and Monterey’s landmark hotel.  In 2002 The Highland Inn was purchased by Gregg and Deborah Morse who look forward to bring the old “Hotel Monterey” into its second century of service to the community and visitors.

History of The Highland Inn (The Hotel Monterey)

The Highland Inn is a historic hotel located in Virginia's Western Highlands. The hotel is the premier architectural landmark in the historic town of Monterey, the county seat of Highland County, which is fondly referred to as "Virginia's Switzerland."  Built in 1904 to serve the lodging needs of tourists escaping from the summer heat of nearby cities, the hotel was known for it's first 75 years as The Hotel Monterey.  The Highland Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Virginia Historic Landmark.
In 1903, a modest boom time for Highland County, a local businessman saw the need for a first-class hotel in Highland County.  Tourists seeking a salubrious and healthful climate had long been coming to spend the summer season at Virginia’s mineral springs and cool mountain resorts.  He saw a need for a hotel that could serve the area as a social center and a refreshing resting place for travelers making the arduous trip from the Shenandoah Valley, to what is still one of the most secluded locales in Virginia.  In more recent years with a few notable exceptions, changes in transportation and lifestyles have seen the demise of nearly all of Virginia’s mountain resorts and spas.  The Highland Inn is one of the few lodging places of its size to continue operating.
The hotel's builder and original owner was Silas W. Crummett, a local businessman.  The contractors were the well-known Eutsler Brothers of Grottoes, Virginia who built the Hotel Monterey for $6,000.  It was built at the end of the Victorian Age in a commercial Queen Anne style. The hotel’s outstanding architectural feature is an elaborate Eastlake style two level porch with a profusion of both turned and sawn ornamentation.
In the early days of the hotel's operation, prominent guests included the great Band Leader John Philip Sousa. The famous director Henry King and silent film star Richard Barthelmess stayed for two weeks at the hotel, along with other cast and crew during the filming of the silent film classic "Tol'able David".
Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and John Burroughs traveling from Cheat Moutain Lodge to Bolar Springs spent the evening visting Monterey and reportedly enjoyed dinner at the hotel on one of their famous summer camping trips.
The hotels' story is incomplete without a historical overview of Highland County. Highland wth the county seat at Bell's Place (now Monterey) was formed on March 19, 1847, largely through the efforts of Colonel Andrew H. Byrd.  It was at the first meeting of the justices of the first Court of Highland that Samuel Ruckman proposed that the name for the county seat be Highland.  The town did not go under the name of Highland for long, for upon the election of General Zachary Taylor to the Presidency the name was changed to Monterey as a tribute to Taylor’s victory at the Battle of Monterrey, Mexico.  The largest town in Highland County is Monterey.  Now with 250 people, the historic town is architecturally dominated by this grand old turn-of-the-century hotel, The Highland Inn.

The Highland Inn
Post Office Box 40
68 West Main Street
Monterey, Virginia 24465-0040

Telephone: 540-468-2143
Toll Free: 888-466-4682
info@highland-inn.com

Captain Linscott and wife, Washington city, remained over Sunday at The Monterey....They were loud in their praise of our climate and mountain scenery, as are all who come our way and are capable of appreciating a good thing when they see it.

The Highland Recorder -July, 1905  

© 2009 Old Dominion Hotels, LLC