Shannon Hotel

“There are good Houses of Entertainment at Christiana Bridge,” said the Pennsylvania Chronicle in 1767, a year after this brick tavern first appeared in the historical record (in a will). George Washington visited the town often in his travels—five times between July and December 1795 alone—staying, presumably, here or diagonally across the street at the still-extant but sandblasted Christiana Inn (pre-1770, enlarged 1842). William Shannon took over in 1800 and was succeeded, after his death, by Isaac Price, who filed a tavern petition in 1817 for the “old established” inn. In 1855, the place became half dwelling, half general store, but it was a hotel again by the 1880s. HABS researchers found its condition “poor” in 1975, and it remains so today. Severe cracks eventually developed in the historic, first-period three-bay facade, which had to be entirely rebuilt in March 2000. Its excellent, unrestored pent eave, so typical of northern Delaware and Pennsylvania, was removed during that project and has not been replaced.