Fire destroys historic inn, an Underground Railroad stop

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — A fire has destroyed an historic Ohio inn that served as a stop on the Underground Railroad used by slaves to escape to Canada.

The three-story brick Old Stagecoach Inn in North Georgetown in northeastern Ohio was built in 1822. North Georgetown Fire Chief Ed Reidenbach told the Canton Repository firefighters found heavy smoke when they arrived not long after the restaurant closed Thursday night.

The State Fire Marshal is investigating.

Reidenbach says at a tunnel ran beneath the road from the building to a similar structure that no longer stands. The building was a stagecoach stop between Pittsburgh and Massillon.

The inn is about 68 miles (109 kilometers) southeast of downtown Cleveland.

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