Morristown celebrates Black Horse Inn restoration project
Belmont County organizations celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony of the Black Horse Inn restoration project with a cultural performance, story and history of the building and remarks from Governor Mike DeWine Tuesday morning in Morristown.
Preserved African American artifacts will find their new home at the Black Horse Inn, moving from the Underground Railroad Museum in Flushing.
DeWine visited Black Horse Inn’s groundbreaking ceremony along with several other members from organizations including Morristown Historic Preservation Association, Belmont County Tourism, Belmont County Commissioners and the Underground Railroad Museum.
John Rataiczak, Master of Ceremonies and president of Morristown Historic Preservation Association, introduced the ceremony.
“Today, we gather to celebrate the beginning of a transformational restoration project made possible through the Appalachian Community Grant Program,” Rataiczak said. “It’s about more than bricks and mortar—it’s about honoring the stories of resilience, freedom, and community that define our shared past. This project is a restored symbol of our past—and a beacon for future generations by combining two cornerstones of Belmont County history: the Black Horse Inn and the Underground Railroad Museum.”
DeWine visited the Black Horse Inn with his wife, Fran DeWine, to celebrate the ceremony and congratulate Morristown on the restoration project. DeWine thanked the people who are making this project successful by deciding to keep the historic Black Horse Inn safe.
Governor Mike DeWine speaks to the visitors at the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning of the Black Horse in in Morristown.
He added that if these buildings are not preserved and protected, they go away.
The state provided more than $4 million for this renovation. DeWine said this came about because he wanted to make a big difference in the Appalachian counties. He added he and his wife, Fran, have a special place in their hearts for the counties of Appalachia and the people in them.
He added Tuesday was not only a big day for Morristown but for Belmont County and Ohio as well.
“It’s important that we preserve our history …, he said. “It will tell the story of this area, the history of the road, but also the history of the underground railroad building … and so I think this is going to be a great place for tourism. It’s going to be a great place for school kids, just part of our history.”
Belmont County Tourism Executive Director Jackee Pugh spoke about the historical significance of this restoration project.
“The restoration of the Black Horse Inn and relocation of the Underground Railroad Museum is more than just a construction project—it’s an investment in storytelling, in community and in truth,” she said.
She added having the ceremony for the Black Horse Inn is especially meaningful as Juneteenth took place last Thursday, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
Pugh said all funds must be spent by October 2026 and in an ideal world, that is when the Black Horse Inn will officially open.
Ross County ACGP consultant John Hemmings was there on behalf of the board of commissioners in Ross County, which is Chillicothe. Ross County took the lead in the application for the Appalachian Community Grant.
This project is one of 30 that is in the Ross County Application. The total award from the state was $154 million, so this is about a $4 million project across 12 Appalachian counties.
Morristown Historic Preservation Association Vice President Pamela McCort told the story of the Black Horse Inn.
In 1807, the building provided warmth, food and dry shelter and a sense of welcoming, a place to rest and a place to belong. As it stood alongside a rugged passage west and then by “The Road that Built a Nation.,” Mccort said.
She added the Black Horse history is the story of pioneers with a vision, like Duncan Morrison, a Revolutionary War Soldier who passed this way and stayed. His vision helped plant the roots of Morristown.
The Black Horse Inn still stands today, even when, at times, its future was unknown.
“The history of the Black Horse, it’s not the story of a building—it is a story of grit, determination, and spirit to prevail from the 19th century to the 21st,” Mccort said.
John Mattox Jr. joined the celebration today as the son of Dr. John and Rosalind Mattox, founders of the Underground Railroad Museum 30 years ago.
John Mattox carried traveling trunks of artifacts into schools but eventually grew his collection to nearly 8,000 items. John Mattox Jr. said it was never about preserving objects for his father, but it was about shining light on a history too often left in the shadows.
“The story that began with a trunk of artifacts finds a permanent home—rooted here in Morristown, on sacred ground,” he said. “ On behalf of the Mattox family and the Underground Railroad Museum, thank you to every partner who helped carry this vision forward. My father’s spirit is here. And because of this project, it always will be.”
During the celebration, vocalist Linda Jordan sang, “Walk in The Kingdom,” a spiritual.
Representatives then stood and held a lantern to honor a legacy with a ceremonial lighting as a commitment to truth, remembrance and education.
Lanterns often marked the path to freedom—flickering in the night as they were placed in windows or on porches as a signal of a safe haven.
Director of the Underground Railroad Museum Kristina Estle spoke the words that were honored with the lanterns that included freedom, courage, legacy, hope, justice, unity, history and progress.
“As each lantern glows, may it stand as a beacon—lighting the way for future generations to explore the truth of our shared history,” Estle said. “Let these lanterns shine as our groundbreaking tribute—an act of illumination instead of excavation. Today, we light the way to freedom, to remembrance, and to a future shaped by the lessons of the past.”
Estle said only a third of the 8,000 items from the Underground Railroad Museum will be able to be moved to the new Black Horse Inn.
“I want to see this continue in Dr. Mattox’s likeness, the way he envisioned this organization, and I want to make sure that continues,” Estle said. I don’t want, with us moving and this becoming much bigger and better, I still don’t want to lose that vision.”
The groundbreaking ceremony concluded with a cultural performance by the Balafon West African Dance Ensemble, powerfully honoring African American heritage.
Members of the Balafon West African Dance Ensemble dance during a cultural performance at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Black Horse Inn in Morristown.
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