Formerly: Bradley House (by 1842)
Lebanon, Ohio · Founded 1803 · Building: 1815 core; third story added 1844; wing added 1878
Ohio's 1803 Golden Lamb inn, still operating in an 1815 brick core where Charles Dickens once protested the temperance rule.
The Golden Lamb began in 1803 when Jonas Seaman secured a license to operate a house of public entertainment in Lebanon. The original log tavern was replaced by a two-story brick building in 1815, then enlarged in 1844 and 1878. It remains an active restaurant and inn and is widely recognized as Ohio's oldest continuously operating business.
Jonas Seaman pays $4 for a license to operate a "house of public entertainment" in newly founded Lebanon.
Source: Daughters of the American Revolution, "Golden Lamb Inn"; Harmon Museum, "Local History: The Golden Lamb"
A two-story Federal-style brick building replaces the earlier log tavern and becomes the core of the present Golden Lamb.
Source: Daughters of the American Revolution, "Golden Lamb Inn"; Chicago Tribune, "Warren Harding (And 9 Other Presidents) Slept Here," January 6, 1985
Daniel Webster spends a night at the Golden Lamb, according to architectural-history documentation.
Source: SAH Archipedia, "The Golden Lamb"
William Henry Harrison speaks at the Golden Lamb during his presidential campaign.
Source: SAH Archipedia, "The Golden Lamb"
Charles Dickens stays at the inn, then known as Bradley House, and later criticizes its poor tea, coffee, water, and temperance policy in American Notes.
Source: Chicago Tribune, "Warren Harding (And 9 Other Presidents) Slept Here," January 6, 1985; Cleveland.com, "Exploring Lebanon," November 26, 2025
A third story is added to the 1815 brick building.
Source: Daughters of the American Revolution, "Golden Lamb Inn"
A three-story wing is added to the Golden Lamb complex.
Source: Daughters of the American Revolution, "Golden Lamb Inn"
Robert H. Jones purchases the Golden Lamb, beginning the Jones/Portman family ownership era.
Source: Harmon Museum, "Local History: The Golden Lamb"; Hospitality Executive, "Stevens to Control Golden Lamb Hotel," October 14, 2008
The Golden Lamb continues to operate as a restaurant, inn, and conference facility in downtown Lebanon.
Source: Daughters of the American Revolution, "Golden Lamb Inn"; Local 12, "Local inn is Ohio's oldest and a destination for over 200 years," July 9, 2026
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The Daughters of the American Revolution identifies the Golden Lamb as Ohio's oldest continuously operating business, licensed on December 23, 1803. Harmon Museum and SAH Archipedia independently repeat the designation and its long operating lineage.
The DAR and historical reporting describe the 1815 construction of a two-story Federal-style brick building that replaced the original log tavern. The present complex also includes a third story added in 1844 and a wing added in 1878.
SAH Archipedia, current local reporting and the Golden Lamb's history all state that 12 presidents stayed at the inn. Earlier Chicago Tribune reporting counted ten named presidential guests. The overall claim is credible, but the candidate's detailed list was not verified through original guest registers or presidential travel records.
Historical reporting identifies Dickens's April 20, 1842 stay when the inn was called Bradley House. His published American Notes records his criticism of the tea, coffee, water, and refusal of brandy at the temperance hotel.
The sources reviewed establish that a two-story brick building replaced the original log tavern in 1815, but they do not establish the candidate's claim that a fire prompted the rebuild.
Harmon Museum says the Jones family still owns the Golden Lamb, while Cleveland.com identifies ownership with the family of former U.S. Senator Rob Portman. Hospitality Executive traces the ownership to Robert H. Jones's 1926 purchase and identifies his Portman grandchildren as owners.
The present Golden Lamb brick building was built in 1803.
The Golden Lamb began in a log tavern in 1803. Its current brick core was built as a two-story structure in 1815, with a third story added in 1844 and a wing added in 1878.
Source: Daughters of the American Revolution, "Golden Lamb Inn"; Chicago Tribune, January 6, 1985
The entire present Golden Lamb building was erected as a four-story brick structure in 1815.
The 1815 brick building began as two stories. The third story was added in 1844, and a three-story wing was added in 1878.
Source: Daughters of the American Revolution, "Golden Lamb Inn"
An 1815 fire forced replacement of the original Golden Lamb building.
The reviewed sources establish the 1815 replacement of the log tavern with a brick building but do not establish a fire as the cause.
Source: Daughters of the American Revolution, "Golden Lamb Inn"; Chicago Tribune, January 6, 1985
The Golden Lamb is currently owned by the Stubbs and Compton families.
The reviewed ownership history identifies the Jones/Portman family as the long-term owner lineage since Robert H. Jones purchased the Golden Lamb in 1926.
Source: Harmon Museum, "Local History: The Golden Lamb"; Hospitality Executive, October 14, 2008; Cleveland.com, November 26, 2025
The Golden Lamb has survived by evolving from a stagecoach-era tavern into a restaurant, hotel, and event property while retaining its historic identity. Its location between Cincinnati and the National Road helped establish its early trade, while twentieth-century preservation and long-term Jones/Portman family ownership sustained the business into the present.
The Golden Lamb in Lebanon is recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution and Ohio historical sources as Ohio's oldest continuously operating business. Jonas Seaman received a license for a house of public entertainment on December 23, 1803.
The Golden Lamb began on December 23, 1803, when Jonas Seaman paid $4 for a license to operate a house of public entertainment in Lebanon. The original business was in a log tavern; the current brick core dates to 1815.
The current brick core of The Golden Lamb was built in 1815 as a two-story Federal-style building. A third story was added in 1844, and a three-story wing followed in 1878, so the present complex is not entirely an 1815 structure.
Yes. Charles Dickens stayed at the inn, then called Bradley House, on April 20, 1842. In American Notes, he complained about the poor tea, coffee, water, and the inn's refusal to serve brandy because it was a temperance hotel.
Current Golden Lamb and local-history accounts say 12 U.S. presidents stayed at the inn. Earlier reporting listed ten named presidential guests, so the overall count is credible but the complete roster should be verified against original guest registers and presidential travel records before publishing every name.
The Golden Lamb is owned by the Jones/Portman family lineage. Harmon Museum says the Jones family still owns the property, and Cleveland.com describes it as owned by the family of former U.S. Senator Rob Portman; the exact current legal operating entity was not reviewed.
27 S Broadway St, Lebanon, OH 45036
(513) 932-5065
The Golden Lamb operates as a restaurant, inn and conference facility; check current dining and room-reservation availability directly before visiting.