When it opened May 30, 1850, the 340-room hotel located on this site was considered one of the finest hotels in the world. Abraham Lincoln stayed here on September 17-18, 1859, while campaigning for the Ohio Republican Party. Lincoln also stayed at this hotel on February 12, 1861, during his inaugural journey to Washington, D.C. to be sworn in as the 16th president. His speech from the hotel balcony expressed his desire to abide by the Constitution on the issue of slavery. After the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, the hotel served as a hospital for wounded troops nursed by the Cincinnati Sisters of Charity.
On March 20, 1864, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman met in Parlor A to coordinate their campaigns against Richmond, VA and Atlanta, GA, eventually leading to Union victory in the Civil War. After the war, Parlor A was used by local veterans for the Grand Army of the Republic meetings.
The register of the hotel bears the names of Henry Clay, Daniel
Webster, James Buchanan, Stephen A. Douglas, Salmon P. Chase, and Horace Greeley. The hotel stopped operations on July 15, 1926, and was razed the same year.
Engraving of Burnet House Provided by Cincinnati Museum Center
Marker Erected by the Cincinnati Civil War Round Table
2012
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