Webb Hotel — A Brief History
The Webb Hotel once anchored everyday life in downtown Manchester, serving travelers, traders, and visiting officials throughout the early–mid 20th century. Historic photographs and travelers’ accounts place the hotel at the heart of the square, a fixture of commerce and conversation in Clay County’s seat.
“Just catch train by the skin of our teeth … and eventually lurch into Manchester in the middle of a terrific storm … wait at station till over, and then walk to Webb’s hotel, get rooms of sorts, settle in…”
—Cecil Sharp, diary entry (Aug. 1917)
Photographic evidence shows the Webb Hotel active into the 1940s, and its setting is now part of the Manchester Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 26, 2023—recognizing the significance of downtown landmarks in telling Manchester’s story.
Image credits: Clay County Genealogical & Historical Society (clayfamilies.org). For highest quality or permissions, please contact the Society. Additional historic images of the hotel appear in statewide archives and photo collections.
