Pannell's Inn hotel
Known Name(s)
Pannell's Inn hotel
Address
613 N. Augusta St. Staunton, VA
Establishment Type(s)
Hotel, Tourist Home
Physical Status
Demolished
Description
Pannell’s Inn Hotel was a three-story log cabin - one of Staunton’s only original log cabin structures - with the original logs covered with overlapping wooden planks. The structure also featured Victorian “gingerbread,” an architectural style that became popular in Staunton following the Civil War, and diamond shaped windows to let light in.
Detailed History
By the 1920s, Staunton had a vibrant African-American community with many Black-owned businesses along several main corridors in town. Augusta Street was one of the corridors featuring many black-owned businesses, some of which were in commercial storefronts while others were home occupations. Augusta Street featured several tourist homes, one of these being the Pannell’s Inn Hotel. The Pannell’s Inn Hotel was run by a local doctor, Dr. Pannell, and also served as a private residence. The boarding house structure was owned by Mrs. Placid Jean Parker of Buffalo, New York. Mrs. Parker taught piano lessons at the boarding house and it was popular with Black entertainers who were traveling through town for shows. Mrs. Parker made the choice to demolish the building in May 1977, as maintenance costs and fire insurance premiums were too high. Today, there is a vacant lot where the building once stood.
Research and current site photo courtesy Caroline Vanterve; 1977 photo courtesy Bill Brown
