Discover the Charm of Settle Hotel
Charles Hall built and operated a hotel and livery stable on this site in the 1820s. It served as the meeting place for the city’s first trustees.
The recently constructed Louisville to Bardstown Turnpike brought a steady flow of stage coach and freight wagon traffic into town, which would spark the creation of at least three hotels and taverns to serve the traveling public.
Reuben and Kate Settles operated the hotel in the 1870s as seen in the photograph. It is reported as having a beautiful dining room and saloon.
The creation of railroads elsewhere in the mid 19th century population and business activity declined sharply and the advent of automobiles brought an end to the hotel business.
Located at the corner of Bardstown Rd and West St., it was a beautiful building with one wing on Bardstown Rd and one wing on West St. Both wings had open porches
At the time there was probably a saloon inside aling with a dining room. Later there was an ice cream parlor and a restaraunt and even had a gas pump outside.
The hotel had an advantage over the Lewis/Carlton Hotel across the street as it had a large livestock barn behind it to house farmer’s animals as they took them to market.
The hotel changed hands multiple times after being sold by the Settles. Others that have owned it were Henry Biven in 1922 as the Biven Hotel. W.M. Shelburne and Roy Gentry in 1925. C.A. Long, J.E. Fisher and Maurice A. Harris in the 1930’s as The Mount Washington Hotel
The hotel was eventually converted to apartments, shops and a pool room by “Bull” Roberts. The building burned while vacant in the 1980’s.
Pictured Above: Lewis/Carlton Hotel located across the street from the Settle Hotel. The home to the left before the front section was added with beautiful upper and lower porches was then the Lewis Hotel. The Carlton Hotel at that time was probably to the right. The hotel most likely housed a first floor saloon and small shops with patron rooms upstairs
The stagecoach ran from Fairfield to Louisville twice daily and stopped to pick patrons and mail. Behind the stagecoach is the Post Master at the time, J.W. Herin