The historic Arlington Inn of Desoto, Missouri dates back to the Civil War era. Originally known as the Iron Mountain Hotel, the Arlington was built around 1860, shortly after the town of Desoto was spawned by the building of the Iron Mountain railroad line from St. Louis to Iron County. The 3-storied, Federal styled structure was one of the first major structures in town, and was built adjacent to those railroad tracks, a primary source of commerce and transportation at the time. The Arlington played a role in the underground railroad of that era. Ironically, a famous historical guest at the Arlington Hotel was Jefferson Davis, the ex-president of the Confederacy, who had a brief stay at the hotel some ten years after the war's end.
The old hotel fell into disrepair over the years and the vacant building was scheduled for demolition when a businessman named Denny Welsh bought it from the city, refurbished it, and reopened around 1990.
Today (2013) it is known as The Arlington Inn, a bed and breakfast owned and operated by Ron and Diana Johnson who became the owners and operators in 2004. #bed_and_breakfast #civil_war_era #desoto #federal_style_architecture #historical #hotel #inn #Iron_Mountain_Railroad #missouri #underground_railroad
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