Est. 1803 · National Register of Historic Places · Ohio's Oldest Business · Presidential History · Ohio Commercial History
Jonas Seaman opened the Golden Lamb's predecessor — a tavern licensed as 'a house of Public Entertainment' — in 1803 in the newly founded village of Lebanon, Ohio. The location on the stagecoach route north from Cincinnati made it a natural stopping point for westward travelers, government officials, and eventually U.S. presidents.
The building grew substantially through the 19th century. Third and fourth floors were added, the latter now serving as museum rooms open to guests during restaurant hours. The inn's guest register includes twelve sitting U.S. presidents, among them John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, Ulysses Grant, and William Henry Harrison. Charles Dickens stayed here in 1842. Harriet Beecher Stowe is documented in the register.
In 1841, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Charles R. Sherman died unexpectedly at the inn at age 41. In 1871, the hotel hosted a more unusual historical event: attorney Clement Vallandigham, preparing a defense for a murder case, accidentally shot himself with a pistol he believed was unloaded while demonstrating how the victim might have been killed. Vallandigham died in the inn the following morning. His defense succeeded — the jury, having observed what actually happened, acquitted his client.
Sarah Stubbs moved into the inn in 1882 as a child when her mother took employment there after her father died. The inn has preserved several of her possessions in a dedicated exhibit room. She lived to adulthood, but her spirit reputedly appears in child form on the fourth floor.
In 2026, the Golden Lamb marks 100 years of continuous family ownership.
Sources
- https://www.goldenlamb.com/news/does-the-golden-lamb-have-ghostly-uninvited-guests/
- https://breakfastwithnick.com/2024/10/10/the-golden-lamb-is-ohios-oldest-restaurant/
- https://www.ohioslargestplayground.com/blog/lebanon-ohios-nearly-departed/
ApparitionsPhantom soundsPhantom footstepsLights flickeringTouching/pushing
The Golden Lamb's most frequently reported spirit is Sarah Stubbs, who moved to the inn as a child in 1882. Her presence is felt most often on the fourth floor, near the exhibit room that holds some of her childhood belongings. Guests have described a small hand touching their coats or arms — a gentle, curious contact — followed by a glimpse of a five-year-old girl who walks away and does not reappear. Food Network designated the Golden Lamb 'the most haunted restaurant in Ohio' in 2019.
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Charles R. Sherman died at the inn in 1841 at age 41, collapsing without prior illness. His presence has been reported in one of the second-floor rooms, described as an older man in period clothing seated in a chair near the window.
Clement Vallandigham's 1871 accidental self-shooting at the inn is historically documented — newspapers covered the event in detail, and the subsequent acquittal of his client based on the demonstration became a minor point of legal history. His presence has been associated with the second-floor room where he died.
Ambient phenomena throughout the building — flickering lights, the sound of laughter in empty upper hallways, footsteps on the staircase after closing — have been reported across multiple eras of the inn's operation. The building's unbroken commercial history since 1803 means the range of possible historical connections to any reported phenomenon is effectively limitless.
Notable Entities
Sarah StubbsJustice Charles R. ShermanClement Vallandigham
