Exploring Past and Present at The Colonial Inn, Part 2: Saving the Inn (the First Time)
This is Part Two of a series of posts exploring The Colonial Inn's past and present. Click here for the introduction and full list of posts. Enjoy!
The Colonial Inn has stood on King Street in Hillsborough for 180-260 years (see this previous post about the rich history of the Inn) and now is undergoing careful restoration to become a boutique hotel and community event center. But did you know that the Inn would not be standing today if it hadn't been for the bravery of one woman during the nineteenth century?
Over 150 years before general manager Elise Tyler and her team began to bring the Inn back from ruin, Sarah Stroud saved the Inn from destruction the first time during the Civil War, ensuring that the building would stand for generations to come. Here, we present this incredible story! |
| Logo for the Orange Hotel under the management of Henry Stroud, 1858 Courtesy of Open Orange |
The story begins in 1856, when the Hillsboro Improvement Company bought the Inn, then called the Orange Hotel. Three Stroud brothers, Alfred, Henry, and Cave, managed the business and made renovations to the structure.
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| The Colonial Inn in the nineteenth century Courtesy Open Orange |
Henry Stroud fought in the Civil War for the 3rd Regiment Home Guards of the Confederate States Army, leaving his wife Sarah and eight daughters behind at home. However, home wasn't the safest place to be for the Stroud women in 1865. The Hillsborough area hosted the headquarters of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, so therefore attracted wartime activity. When General Willian T. Sherman and his Union forces rode through the town, they brought destruction with them. As often happened during the war of the states, businesses and homes were plundered and burned.
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| The historic Mason lodge across King Street from The Colonial Inn. Photo courtesy AMB |
As the Inn was not only the home of her family, but also their source of income, Sarah Stroud was determined that it would not suffer the same fate. As the raiding Union soldiers approached, she sent her daughters to hide on the property and made her way to the upstairs of the two-story structure. The daring wife and mother waved her husband's Masonic apron or flag and hoped for the best. According to Stroud family history, a sympathetic Union officer who was also a Mason gave the orders to spare the property. Thus, the Inn was rescued from harm and still stands as a testimony to Sarah's courage.
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| Logo of the Orange Hotel under the management of Alfred Stroud, 1867 Courtesy of Open Orange |
While the Inn survived the Civil War, Henry Stroud did not. Sarah Stroud most likely became a widow around the time that she saved the Inn. Alfred Stroud appears to have taken over the operations by 1867 before the family lost the Inn to bankruptcy a year later.
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| The Colonial Inn during the "second saving," 2019 Courtesy Open Orange |
Soon, you will be able to visit the twice-saved Colonial Inn and who knows? You could be staying in a room with the window from which Sarah waved the apron! (By the way, a few of windows in the structure still hold original wavy glass.) When you stay at The Colonial Inn, you will also become a part of it's extraordinary story. Elise Tyler shared with us that their goal for the Inn is not just to provide an amazing experience that changes you, but also to ask the question, "How can you change us?"
Aren't you glad that The Colonial Inn still stands? Please share your favorite part of this story with us in the comments below!
< Previous Post: Exploring Past and Present at The Colonial Inn, Part 1: History
Next Post: The Colonial Inn's Restoration >
Note of interest: The Stroud women have a history of not backing down in the face of war! Sarah's granddaughter, Miss Octavia Jordan, held the position of teacher at a Hickory school and inspired her students to harvest peas for a day in 1917 to "aid in winning the war," which was World War I, of course. See the image below:
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| Article from Hickory Daily Record, October 17, 1917 Courtesy Newspapers.com |
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As a historical note, a some of the sources below name Octavia Stroud, daughter of Henry and Sarah Stroud, as the one who waved the apron and saved the Inn. However, this version seems less likely since Octavia's gravestone lists 1864 as her birth date, meaning she would be a year old at the time of the Union raid.
Sources:
About Hillsborough - Visit Hillsborough, NC
Elise Tyler, General Manager of The Colonial Inn
The Colonial Inn: Its History and Significance by Cathleen Turner
Henry Calvin Stroud - Ancestry
Henry Calvin Stroud - Find A Grave
Hickory Daily Record, Wednesday, October 17th, 1917
Octavia Graham Stroud Jordan - Find A Grave
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