Probe continues at Century Inn
SCENERY HILL – A team of private investigators worked Thursday to determine the cause of a fire Monday that gutted the historic Century Inn dating to 1788 in Scenery Hill.
The investigation results will be shared with the building’s owner, Megin Harrington, and her insurance company, said a fire investigator with Romualdi, Davidson & Associates, who was at the scene Thursday morning.
The state police fire marshal ruled the fire an accident, saying it was sparked by an electrical malfunction in a rear, first-floor utility room. Fire Marshal Chad Scrip said Tuesday the fire could have begun in an air-conditioning unit or an exhaust fan in the small room.
Investigators were seen removing an exhaust fan from the rubble Thursday.
A bouquet of orange and yellow flowers was placed at the base of a Pennsylvania historical marker outside the stone building at 2175 Route 40. The sign honors Hill’s Tavern, the original name of the restaurant and inn, stating it’s one of the oldest businesses of its kind in continuous operation along the nation’s first interstate known as the National Road. Police tape and no trespassing signs also surrounded the burned-out shell of the building.
Washington County Historical Society Executive Director Clay Kilgore said he believes the stone shell of the inn and restaurant could be salvaged and the interior could be replicated.
“There are enough photos of the inside that would make them be able to reproduce the building,” Kilgore said Thursday.
He pointed to the historic Bradford House on Main Street in Washington as a historic building whose interior was nearly entirely replicated 50 years ago.
Harrington could not be reached Thursday.