The Tabard Inn was the first building to house residents. It was on the veranda of the large inn that the dedication ceremonies of the colony were held.
Visitors flocked to Rugby to stay at Tabard Inn. It was the vogue opinion among the elite circles in Europe that you had simply not seen America until you had visited Rugby!
The inn was the source of a typhoid epidemic in 1881 that claimed the lives of eight residents. In 1884, the inn burned to its foundation but was later rebuilt. As the colony declined, fire once again struck the historic inn.
Last Updated May 15 1996