Come visit us and enjoy the pleasures of Benham. We are surrounded by some of the tallest mountains in Kentucky. We have a wide array of museums and activities, as well as outdoor adventures. You will enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of this antique Schoolhouse experience. We have 30 rooms to choose from that range from single rooms to double as well as a honeymoon suite.
History Highlights
The historic building was constructed in 1926 as a K-12 school. International Harvester supplemented teachers’ salaries, so the school attracted the best possible educators. After 1961, the school served K-8 until it closed completely in 1992. Right away, construction began to renovate the school into the Inn, which opened in 1994.
Nostalgic Lodging
The Inn’s on-site restaurant, The Dinner Bucket, is located in the area that was formerly the principal’s office, secretary’s office, nurse’s office and teacher’s lounge. The current kitchen is where the Home Economics classroom was and later became the kitchen for the cafeteria. Up the front stairs, there is a small sitting room with a large chandelier that has been there as long as anyone can remember. The room was used for art because it has good lighting. On the second floor there were additional classrooms and the school’s library. Many of the rooms have the original hardwood floors and the hallways have the original terrazzo floor. Located near the rear stairs on the first floor was the kindergarten classroom that is now a conference room, administration office and more guest rooms. Lockers still line the hallways, some of which you can open and find love notes and stickers left behind by former students. The school’s gymnasium ? which now serves as the Inn’s Banquet Hall, one of the best event venues in the region featuring state of art sound and lighting ? holds rich history for the Benham Tigers, where even donkey basketball was sometimes a main attraction for the community.