Historical Photo Location Revealed

Last Monday, we asked readers to , taken somewhere in Merion in the 1880s.

As two readers guessed, the photo was taken at General Wayne Inn, a building with a long and rich history.

Located at 625 Montgomery Avenue in Merion, the General Wayne Inn opened in 1704 as a crossroads tavern. In previous eras, it was known as the William Penn Inn, the Tunis Ordinary and Streepers Tavern. Several decades after the American Revolution, it was renamed in honor of General Wayne, who had lodged there.

The township's elections were held there from 1806 to 1867, according to an 1884 document on the Lower Merion Historical Society website. It was also a post office in 1830 and from 1850 to 1882, according to a history of Montgomery County. "Until about 1883 the premises were known to summer visitors as a hotel catering to city folk," the document states.

Legend has it that Edgar Allan Poe frequented the inn, and that he was even inspired to write "The Tell-Tale Heart" there.

The Merion Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution met at the inn regularly from their formation in 1895 until 1939.

During the Depression, General Wayne "ceased to operate as a hotel, was used as a gasoline station, and eventually reopened as a tavern. A fire in 1963 gutted a portion of the main building but left the walls standing and it was rebuilt," the history reads.

The building, operating as a restaurant in the 1980s, was at that time placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The inn gained notoriety in 1996 when its owner was found murdered in his third floor office. His business partner, Guy Sileo, was eventually convicted for the crime and sentenced to life in prison. Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor that revisited the site of the murder.

The inn is now occupied by Chabad Main Line.

Kudos to Patch readers Deena Gerson and Beege Marshall, who both correctly identified as General Wayne Inn.

Ready for the next challenge? Check back Monday morning for a new historical photo challenge.