Stockbridge
The Red Lion Inn
Rebuilt in 1897 on a tavern site that tradition dates to 1773; Historic Hotels of America lists five presidents among its guests.
- Built
- 1897Present building rebuilt and reopened in 1897 after the earlier inn was compromised in the 1890s (HHA); MACRIS STO.38 also dates it 1897. The inn traces itself to a 1773 tavern built by Silas Pepoon (oral tradition, per HHA).
- Style
- Colonial Revival
- Type
- Inn
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district; Historic Hotels of America member
The story
By oral tradition Silas Pepoon built the original tavern at Main and Pine in 1773, and local residents met there to pass resolutions against acts of Parliament before the Revolution. Charles H. Plumb bought it in 1862, renamed it the Stockbridge House and filled it with colonial antiques, and by the Gilded Age it could hold about 100 guests. After the building was compromised in the 1890s it was rebuilt within months and reopened in 1897. HHA lists Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge and Franklin D. Roosevelt among presidents who stayed.
The ghost story
Housekeepers, staff and guests report a ghostly young girl carrying flowers and a man in a top hat, and the fourth floor and Guestroom 301 are said to be the most active. Guests also describe cold spots, unexplained knocks and waking to a presence at the foot of the bed; staff call the spirits friendly.
Source: www.historichotels.org
Good to know
- Parking: on-site free
- Elevator
- Pets welcome
- Address: 30 Main Street, Stockbridge, MA 01262
Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.