Formerly: McKinney's Tavern · Hale's Spring House
Rogersville, Tennessee · Founded 1824 · Building: 1824–1825
A Rogersville inn built in 1824–25, associated with three U.S. presidents and reopened in 2009 after an 11-year closure.
Hale Springs Inn was built in downtown Rogersville in 1824–25 by lawyer and businessman John A. McKinney as a tavern and lodging house on the Great Stage Road. It is repeatedly associated with stays by Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson, and local history says Union forces used the inn during the Civil War. The inn closed in 1998, then reopened in 2009 after a nonprofit-led preservation campaign and major renovation.
John A. McKinney began building a Federal-style brick tavern and lodging house in downtown Rogersville. Sources vary on whether the building was completed in 1824 or 1825.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians, SAH Archipedia, "Hale Springs Inn"; Rogersville Chamber of Commerce, "Hale Springs Inn"; Knoxville Focus, "Rogersville's Historic Hale Springs Inn," December 1, 2025
Architectural history describes Hale Springs Inn as being in nearly continuous use from this year; the record later documents a closure from 1998 to 2009.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians, SAH Archipedia, "Hale Springs Inn"
Local historical accounts say Union forces used the inn as a headquarters during the Civil War. After Confederate forces retook Rogersville during the Battle of Big Creek, they used the Kyle House across the street as headquarters.
Source: Backroads and Burgers, "Hale Springs Inn: A Stay Fit for a President," November 15, 2021; East Tennessee Thanksgiving at Historic Hale Springs Inn, November 21, 2017; Knoxville Focus, "Rogersville's Historic Hale Springs Inn," December 1, 2025
Local history says Carl and Janet Netherland-Brown purchased the inn around this year and later restored it; another architectural account places Captain Carl Netherland-Brown's restoration in 1985.
Source: East Tennessee Thanksgiving at Historic Hale Springs Inn, November 21, 2017; Society of Architectural Historians, SAH Archipedia, "Hale Springs Inn"
Hale Springs Inn closed after profits declined. Historical accounts say it was Tennessee's oldest continuously operated inn at the time of closure.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians, SAH Archipedia, "Hale Springs Inn"; Backroads and Burgers, "Hale Springs Inn: A Stay Fit for a President," November 15, 2021; Tripadvisor historic listing
The Rogersville Heritage Association purchased the closed inn and began a preservation partnership with the Town of Rogersville. Some local accounts give an earlier acquisition year, but architectural history specifies 2003.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians, SAH Archipedia, "Hale Springs Inn"; Backroads and Burgers, "Hale Springs Inn: A Stay Fit for a President," November 15, 2021
The Rogersville Heritage Association granted the premises to the Town of Rogersville in trust for a 20-year period, according to architectural history.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians, SAH Archipedia, "Hale Springs Inn"
A Transportation Enhancement grant-supported renovation began, continuing through 2009.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians, SAH Archipedia, "Hale Springs Inn"
Hale Springs Inn reopened with nine guest rooms, a restaurant, and a bar after restoration.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians, SAH Archipedia, "Hale Springs Inn"; WBIR, "Hometown Spotlight: Hale Springs Inn in Rogersville," October 16, 2017; Rogersville Chamber of Commerce, "Hale Springs Inn"
Current Hale Springs Inn and Rogersville Heritage Association materials listed inn reservations and historic lodging/restaurant-tavern operations at 110 W Main St.
Source: Historic Hale Springs Inn official website, accessed August 2026; Rogersville Heritage Association, "Home"; Rogersville Chamber of Commerce, "Hale Springs Inn"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Architectural history, local visitor materials, Chamber information, and historical retellings consistently identify Jackson, Polk, and Johnson as nineteenth-century guests. Some accounts say Jackson addressed a crowd from the balcony. This review did not inspect original guest registers, presidential itineraries, correspondence, diaries, or contemporary newspapers, so the three-president roster remains credible but not fully documented here.
Hale Springs Inn has an 1824–25 origin and was described as Tennessee's oldest continuously operated inn when it closed in 1998. It remained closed until reopening in 2009 after a preservation-led renovation. That documented 11-year gap defeats a claim of uninterrupted inn operation from the 1820s to the present.
Multiple local historical accounts say Union forces used the inn as headquarters during the Civil War because its Main Street façade faced north. They also say Confederate forces later used the Kyle House across the street after retaking Rogersville during the Battle of Big Creek. This review did not inspect military orders, quartermaster records, occupancy reports, or the Official Records directly.
Architectural history and local reporting say the Rogersville Heritage Association acquired the closed inn, supported renovation from 2007 through 2009, and reopened the property in 2009 with nine guest rooms, a restaurant, and a bar.
A local historical account says the inn was renamed Hale's Spring House after George A. Murray purchased it and promoted its association with the Hale's Spring spa near the inn. The reviewed record does not support a mineral spring directly beneath the building.
Hale Springs Inn has operated continuously as an inn since 1824.
Hale Springs Inn has an 1824–25 origin, but it closed in 1998 and did not reopen until 2009 after preservation-led renovation. The historic inn lineage is long, but uninterrupted operation is not accurate.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians, SAH Archipedia, "Hale Springs Inn"; Backroads and Burgers, "Hale Springs Inn: A Stay Fit for a President," November 15, 2021
The Rogersville Heritage Association bought Hale Springs Inn in 2002.
The most specific reviewed architectural history gives 2003 as the association's purchase year. Other local accounts provide differing timing, so 2003 should be used with source attribution pending deed verification.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians, SAH Archipedia, "Hale Springs Inn"; Backroads and Burgers, "Hale Springs Inn: A Stay Fit for a President," November 15, 2021
Hale Springs Inn was named for mineral springs directly beneath the hotel.
A local historical account says the property became Hale's Spring House after George A. Murray purchased it and promoted its connection to the nearby Hale's Spring spa. The reviewed evidence does not establish a spring beneath the building.
Source: East Tennessee Thanksgiving at Historic Hale Springs Inn, November 21, 2017
Both Union and Confederate officers used Hale Springs Inn as their headquarters during the Civil War.
Local historical accounts say Union forces used Hale Springs Inn, while Confederate forces were headquartered at the Kyle House across the street after retaking Rogersville during the Battle of Big Creek. The precise military chronology requires primary-record confirmation.
Source: Backroads and Burgers, "Hale Springs Inn: A Stay Fit for a President," November 15, 2021; East Tennessee Thanksgiving at Historic Hale Springs Inn, November 21, 2017
Hale Springs Inn survives because the Rogersville community treated the loss of the historic inn as both a preservation problem and a downtown economic problem. After its 1998 closure, the Rogersville Heritage Association acquired the property, worked with the town, and supported a renovation project exceeding $2 million. The 2009 reopening restored lodging, restaurant, and bar functions to an 1820s building, preserving its public role while making clear that the continuity is one of historic place and revived use—not unbroken business operation.
Hale Springs Inn was built in downtown Rogersville in 1824–25 by lawyer and businessman John A. McKinney as a tavern and lodging house on the Great Stage Road. The inn became associated with nineteenth-century presidential visits and Civil War military use, then closed in 1998 after declining profits. The Rogersville Heritage Association acquired the property in 2003, supported restoration, and reopened it in 2009 with nine guest rooms, a restaurant, and a bar.
Hale Springs Inn is repeatedly associated with stays by Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson. Architectural and local historical sources say Jackson stayed soon after the inn was completed and addressed a crowd from its balcony. This review did not inspect original guest registers, presidential diaries, correspondence, or itineraries, so the three-president claim is historically plausible rather than independently proven here.
No. Hale Springs Inn cannot accurately be called Tennessee's oldest continuously operating inn because it closed in 1998 and reopened in 2009 after a major preservation project. Its original building and inn history date to 1824–25, making it one of Tennessee's important early lodging properties, but the documented 11-year closure breaks literal continuity.
Hale Springs Inn reopened in 2009 after being closed since 1998. The Rogersville Heritage Association purchased the building in 2003, worked with the Town of Rogersville, and supported a renovation project from 2007 through 2009. The reopened inn included nine guest rooms, a restaurant, and a bar.
Local historical accounts say Union forces used Hale Springs Inn as a headquarters during the Civil War. After Confederate forces retook Rogersville during the 1863 Battle of Big Creek, those accounts place Confederate headquarters at the Kyle House across the street rather than at Hale Springs Inn. Primary military records should be consulted for the precise occupation dates and uses.
110 W Main St, Rogersville, TN 37857
(423) 272-5171
Hale Springs Inn is on Rogersville’s downtown square. The property advertises historic lodging and restaurant/tavern service, but current room availability, restaurant hours, dining reservations, bar access, accessibility, and special-event closures should be confirmed directly before visiting.