>>> Granville is in Licking County, a few miles west of the county seat of Newark.

It's an old New England town.

Well, it was settled by New England settlers, let's say.

But I have to say, having grown up in New England, it does remind me of being in Connecticut.

We're going to visit a very interesting building, one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in town.

And this should be a really fun visit.

[ Music ].

>>> Hello, Jennifer.

>>> Hi, Jeff.

Nice to see.

>>> Nice to see you.

Thanks for inviting us over.

>>> Yes.

We're so excited to have you guys here.

>>> Good to be here.

So the Buxton Inn, when was it built?

>>> It was built in 1812.

>>> So a long time ago.

>>> Not long after Granville was founded.

Where did the name come from?

>>> Originally it was called The Tavern.

And it was a stagecoach in that one of our founders in Granville built.

A couple owners away from him, it became the Buxton Inn as we know it today.

>>> Great.

So a stagecoach inn would be one where, because of the length of a route, people would stop overnight.

>>> Yes.

>>> You didn't have sleeping accommodations on stagecoaches like you did later?

>>> No, no.

And in fact.

>>> This was the last stop if you were headed west into Columbus.

So oftentimes travelers would stop here at the Buxton Inn.

>>> Well, that's a great history, and I'd love to see the interior.

Yeah.

What's going on inside?

>>> Absolutely.

>>> Come on in.

I'd love to show you around.

[ Music ].

>>> Now Jeff, when you come in here, I want you to take notice of the original lock here on the back of the door its from 1812.

>>> That is a big piece of metal.

>>> Yes it sure is.

>>> That'll keep the place secure.

So we're in the main entry, the main hallway.

I notice here this original newel post, and then a support column.

It's got these edges called shampering where they took the square piece and cut it off.

And I notice up at the top, there's a little curly detail called a lamb's tongue.

It's all typical of the style of that time, which this was the federal period around 1792, about the 1840s.

There was a particular style, and these are typical of it.

>>> Yes.

And the gentleman who built the inn Orin Granger, he came from Granville, Massachusetts.

And so there was a group of settlers that came from that East Coast.

And that's the reason Granville as a whole reminds you of a kind of a New England style town.

So a lot of those details they brought with them back from home.

>>> They would build what they knew.

>>> Jeff, why don't you come into our reception, our lobby here, where we welcome our hotel guests.

To where they come to check in.

[ Music ] >>> How did it change over time?

I know it's bigger than it was originally.

>>> It is.

The original end was smaller, and then about the mid-to-late 1800s.

There were some space added as far as additional rooms and dining space.

>>> And if you look around, you do see the details here that tell you the period of the end of the chair rail and that federal style fireplace around the wood floor.

>>> Yes, this is the original floor.

The darker pieces are walnut and the lighter pieces are chestnut.

And it's every other one.

And it's something that they would do.

It made the room more fancy.

So this was.

The room where everybody was welcomed.

>>> There must be some famous people who came here.

Who would they be?

>>> The most famous person was Abraham Lincoln, and he stayed.

>>> And visited here.

We actually have a signature in one of our guest books.

Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford were frequent guests.

They were affiliated with Denison.

And were good friends of a previous owner named Bonnie Bounell.

And Bonnie is still said to be here today.

She's one of our resident ghost.

>>> I've heard stories of ghosts.

We'll have to talk about that.

>>> Yes, yes.

Oh, there's plenty of stories.

>>> Well, before we do that, I'm sure there's more to see.

You must have other facilities here.

>>> Yes, we do.

We have the Lincoln Room across the hall, and we can go in there next.

Oh yeah, You can see the history in this room.

And there's President Lincoln, just as you promised.

>>> Yep.

There he is gracing our fireplace.

>>> And this mantelpiece is just wonderful.

>>> It's beautiful yes.

>>> In federal style with the fan and the columns.

It's really just really beautiful.

>>> Like I said previously, we have a lot of resident ghost.

And I mentioned Bonnie in the last space, and in here.

We frequently see Major Buxton.

And he actually changed the name to the Buxton Inn.

Named it after himself.

And he lived in one of the buildings that we have some of the hotel rooms we have now.

And then he always.

Used to wear a top hat.

And so he's oftentimes seen leaning against this fireplace.

Kind of warming his hands.

>>> This is the ghost of him?

>>> Yes.

People will see it.

>>> Wow.

Well, I know we're not done.

>>> No.

>>> I'm sure there's more to see.

>>> There's lots of space.

>>> Major Buxton, we'll see you later.

>>> Yes.

Okay.

Follow me.

There's lots of ghost stories to come.

>>> Attics and basements are the favorite parts of buildings for me.

Yeah, there have to be stories here.

>>> Oh there is.

And in fact, the tavern boy likes to sit on those stairs, and he likes to be a little ornery sometimes.

>>> The tavern boy, did he work here?

>>> No, actually, he was traveling with his family because this was a stagecoach inn.

And he became ill upon his way.

And they quarantined him down here.

He unfortunately passed overnight.

So his ghost is still said to be here.

>>> It's a great space now.

I mentioned it was a little cruder when Tavern Boy was here.

There's a lot of room here.

You can see fireplace support and so on.

Tell me what went on down here.

>>> Historically, the stagecoach drivers who dropped their guests off, this is where they would sleep.

And get a warm meal and probably have a few drinks or two.

>>> Well, it wasn't great accommodation, but on the other hand, I imagine they didn't really pay, did they?

>>> No.

No, they didn't.

But they also they protected the end from potential thieves or robbers.

There was a step that was built in to be a little bit higher than the rest.

And it's called a burglar step.

It was a security system of the 1800s.

And if somebody was going to steal something, they would come down.

This is where they kept all the valuables.

And they would just grab as much as they could and run up the stairs.

And since that step was just a bit higher than the rest, oftentimes they would trip on their way out.

?I think I felt that difference coming down.

Fortunately, I didn't trip.

>>> Yes.

>>> But it wasn't stealing anything either.

>>> Yes.

People normally trip on the way out.

>>> I'm sure there are further ghost stories if you have more to tell.

>>> There are.

Yes.

I have a lot of ghost stories.

All right.

Okay, let's go.

So, Jeff, this is our William Henry Harrison room.

But there's something really neat about this space I want to show you its back here.

>>> I didn't know this was up here.

I know it's directly above the dining room.

It is.

It is.

So this piece is generally pushed back, but I have it pulled out here.

Because I want to want to push it out of the way.

And I want to show you.

>>> This looks like a door.

>>> Yeah.

So this panel here pulls out.

>>> Look at that.

>>> And reveals a door.

And the previous owner explained all about the Underground Railroad.

And there is lots of homes here in Granville that took care of the runaway slaves and the Buxton did as well.

This would have been a place where they could have possibly hid if need be.

Right now, it's all new construction, as you can see.

>>> I noticed that this was where the fire was?

>>> Yes.

So the fire was in the kitchen, which is directly below the space.

And the flames came up through the roof.

And you can still see some of the charred wood over here.

>>> Oh yeah for sure.

>>> This back of the door was all charred.

And we did refinish it.

>>> So it was all sanded down, too.

>>> Exactly.

>>> And see, though, it was.

It's permanently colored.

>>> Yes.

Yes.

>>> And we had a bunch of old files in here.

Restaurant, receipts, that sort of thing.

And that fire came up and it just charred everything, but it didn't catch fire.

And thank goodness it didn't, because if It would have, it would have come through this space and possibly collapsed the floor into the Lincoln Room.

>>> So I wonder if maybe if one of the ghosts was maybe a custodian of those papers and decided they weren't going to burn up.

>>> Yes.

And that's really how we feel about it.

We just feel that they were looking over.

The Buxton is such a special place and was obviously a special place to them at one point.

And so it was nice to have somebody looking over us that day.

>>> Well, I'm glad those spirits may have been helping preserve all of that and and stop the fire, really.

>>> Right.

>>> But on this level, are there still more ghost stories?

Yes.

Right across the hall, we have room seven, eight and nine.

And there's definitely some stories to tell there.

>>> I had a feeling there was more.

Yes.

I'll follow you.

>>> Jeff.

This is where room seven eight and nine are located.

These are the original rooms to the end.

Room seven here is actually where Lincoln stayed.

As we come through.

Over here, I want to show you room nine.

So, Jeff, on the day of the fire.

The fire marshal was here later in the day after the fire was extinguished.

And he needed just to inspect these rooms.

And I was busy and I sent my son Jake up with the master key.

He opened seven and eight for the fire marshal to look.

And then came to this room and tried a key and it just wouldn't work.

And this is the room that  Bonnie Bounell she lived in.

And this is the room she died in.

So she's our resident ghost.

And he kind of fooled with those keys a couple of times.

Tried it again and it wouldn't open.

And he said, Bonnie, it's okay.

You know.

The fire's out.

Everything's fine.

And sure enough, that door just opened.

>>> That gave her the reassurance she needed.

Everything was okay.

>>> Yes.

>>> What a great tale.

[ Music ].

So people come for the haunted aspect of the place?

>>> Yes, they do.

They've specifically asked for room nine.

They're interested in seeing  ghosts and all of that.

But I make it very clear  we're not a haunted house.

We're more of like a spiritually active inn where there's lots of previous owners and people that have enjoyed the and then maybe are just stopping in to check and see how we're doing and kind of looking over the place.

>>> Well, I've had a great tour.

I really want to thank you.

>>> Thank you, Jeff.

>>> Yeah.

Thanks so much.

>>> My pleasure.