By By Seth Taylor
Copyright postandcourier
The Spring Park Inn was likely built sometime in the 1820s, according to the Travelers Rest Historical Society website. At first, it was a private residence owned by Aquilla Bradley and his wife.
In 1850, Chevis and Mary McCarrell Montgomery acquired the property and officially made it an inn. In a newspaper advertisement from the time, Montgomery wrote that he “pledges himself that no pains shall be spared to make all comfortable that may think proper to give him a call” and “charges are as reasonable as can possibly be afforded.”
In the 1870s, Robert Wright Anderson and his wife Mary McCullough Anderson took over the inn. They helped build a railroad platform nearby, meaning passengers arriving in Travelers Rest could be delivered straight to their door.
It was during this time that the inn reached its peak, according to information from the Historical Society, with community members using the establishment as a place to gather, listen to music, play baseball or enjoy ice cream socials, among other activities.
Anderson’s descendants continued to operate the inn until 1941, when they turned it into a kind of local boarding house. A few decades later, the descendants made the home into a private residence again, which it remained until Gibson donated the property to the Historical Society.
Now, the inn has been restored to what it looked like around the turn of the 19th century when it was most popular. Bomar said restorers repaired the home, repainted it with period colors, and decorated it with Victorian decorations, like carpeting, wallpaper and curtains.
The work was funded by money from Gibson and other local donors, Bomar said. She declined to name the total cost. Long-term plans call for the property to be transformed into a community park, but the Historical Society has not announced any plans for that yet.
The Spring Park Inn will be open free-of-charge Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. On Saturdays, visitors can sign up for tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours are $10 for adults and $5 for children.
