Mullin Hotel

Open Saturday and Sunday

Built 166 years ago, in 1847, when West Virginia was the western part of Virginia, the hotel was originally known as the Moorefield Hotel Company and the stockholders included Charles Carter Lee, eldest brother of Robert E. Lee.  In its day it was considered to have every modern convenience.  Of course, there was no central heating – each room had a fireplace; there was no indoor water or plumbing, no air conditioning, no automobiles parked in front and no paved streets to drive your wagon or ride your horse and most people either arrived by wagon or horseback.

After the Civil War, it was operated by Captain C. B. Mullin, who made it into a renowned hostelry famous for its food.  It was especially known for the oysters served.  An old letter reads, “Only the finest oysters were brought to Moorefield because Captain Mullin had educated the people of Moorefield and hotel guests to eat only the best”.

During Captain Mullin’s tenure in the 1860’ and 70’s, known as the Golden Days of Moorefield, old hotel registers indicate that many men of note and distinction were guests, including both Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.  The building carried the name The Mullin Hotel for over 80 years and is West Virginia’s oldest continuously operated hotel, serving as such for over 110 years.

Everyone who walked through its doors contributed to its history.  The visitor today might sense a ghost of a traveling salesman of the 1800’s, the echo of boots down wooden hallway or the rustle of the fine ladies’ dresses, all of which contribute to the ambiance of the Mullin Hotel.  One can imagine the chatter of guests as they sat on the long front porch on a summer evening or as they sat around the fireplaces on wintry nights - this is the true history of the building.

Hardy County history will be on display on the second floor in the Hardy County Historical Society Museum. A restaurant occupies the bottom floor. An added attraction for the visitor will be the reconstructed log building that has been moved from Clay Street in Moorefield to the rear of the hotel property.

Open Courtesy of the Hardy County Historical Society and Ivan Cowger, III.

Directions: 104 South Main St.