Doe Run Inn
Encyclopedia
Doe Run Inn is a restaurant/inn business two miles southeast of Brandenburg, Kentucky
. It is within the Doe Run Creek Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on December 19, 1978.
Squire Boone
had discovered the creek, along with John McKinney, in 1778, and named it Doe Run Creek. It was so named due to the many deer
in the vicinity. The creek was blessed with sulfur
and salt lick
s, making it attractive for buffalo
and elk
.
The mill was built between 1788-1790 by Jonathan Essery, and was originally known as Stevenson's Mill. It was made of local limestone
and timbers that were hand-hewn. The walls are two feet thick. Thomas Lincoln
worked as a stonemason on the newer section of the mill, which was constructed in 1800.
Throughout its history as a mill, it was seldom profitable, due to so many competing mills. By 1900 it was being used as a barn. It became the Sulfur Wells Hotel in 1901 when W.D. Coleman purchased it. It attracted several tourists who sought the purported health benefits of the sulfur water
. In 1947 the Haycrafts leased the Inn. It was renamed the Doe Run Inn in 1958 when it was leased by Curtis and Lucille Brown.
The district includes an additional mill and three houses, one of which was a log cabin
. Also within the district was Meade County's first hydro-electric plant.
Brandenburg, Kentucky
Brandenburg is a city in Meade County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,049 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Meade County.-History:...
. It is within the Doe Run Creek Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 19, 1978.
Squire Boone
Squire Boone
Squire Boone Jr. was an American pioneer and brother of Daniel Boone. In 1780, he founded the first settlement in Shelby County, Kentucky. The tenth of eleven children, Squire Boone was born to Nathan "Squire" Boone Sr. and his wife Sarah Boone in Berks County, Pennsylvania at the Daniel Boone...
had discovered the creek, along with John McKinney, in 1778, and named it Doe Run Creek. It was so named due to the many deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
in the vicinity. The creek was blessed with sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
and salt lick
Salt lick
A mineral lick is a natural mineral deposit where animals in nutrient-poor ecosystems can obtain essential mineral nutrients...
s, making it attractive for buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
and elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
.
The mill was built between 1788-1790 by Jonathan Essery, and was originally known as Stevenson's Mill. It was made of local limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and timbers that were hand-hewn. The walls are two feet thick. Thomas Lincoln
Thomas Lincoln
Thomas Lincoln was an American farmer and father of President Abraham Lincoln.-Ancestors:Thomas Lincoln was descended from Samuel Lincoln, a Puritan from East Anglia who landed in Massachusetts in 1637...
worked as a stonemason on the newer section of the mill, which was constructed in 1800.
Throughout its history as a mill, it was seldom profitable, due to so many competing mills. By 1900 it was being used as a barn. It became the Sulfur Wells Hotel in 1901 when W.D. Coleman purchased it. It attracted several tourists who sought the purported health benefits of the sulfur water
Sulfur water
Sulfur water is a condition where the running water contains a high amount of hydrogen sulfide gas that escapes into the air when the plumbing line is opened, giving a distinct "rotten egg" smell.-Cause:...
. In 1947 the Haycrafts leased the Inn. It was renamed the Doe Run Inn in 1958 when it was leased by Curtis and Lucille Brown.
The district includes an additional mill and three houses, one of which was a log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
. Also within the district was Meade County's first hydro-electric plant.