ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) – The historic Hale Springs Inn has sat in the heart of Rogersville for nearly 200 years. The inn was built in the early 19th century and at one time, held a title of great distinction in the state.

“Until 1999, The Hale Springs Inn was the oldest, continuously operating Inn in Tennessee. The problem is, once it closed, it lost that distinction so now it’s just an old inn,” said George E. Webb Jr., the County Historian specializing in Rogersville history.

While closures and renovations throughout the years took away that longest-running title, it doesn’t take away from the history. One of the inn’s greatest claims to fame is the fact that three presidents over time once called the inn ‘home’ for the night, sleeping in the rooms housed within the inn’s historic walls.

“We’ve had three presidents stay here. We’ve had Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and Polk,” said Inn General Manager, Jo Anderson.

She’s been in her role at the inn for four years now, but her history with the inn dates back farther than that. She said history is actually the main draw for tourists to the landmark.

“The floors in the dining room are the original 1824 floors so you’re just walking on history every day and we have different various historic things around the inn,” Anderson said.

The inn has a total of nine rooms, two of which are suites but all of them are restored to give that authentic 19th-century feel. To the people of Rogersville, it’s more than just an old building.

“We have other buildings that are on Main Street that are old as well and built in the 1800s but this is where people came through, where the presidents came through, and what has the majority of the town’s history in it,” said Anderson.

She’s not the only one who holds the inn near and dear, Webb said the inn has been a spectacle throughout the decades. “There have been a number of state officials who have come here and said this is the crown jewel of small town-historic and preserved architecture,” he said.

The inn remains busy to this day, according to Anderson. She confirmed plans are in the works to have a huge 200th-anniversary celebration next year.