Monday, October 5, 2026

Homestead Inn Revisited

While out in Milan a week ago, I happened to be driving down U.S. Route 250 near the Turnpike and saw the new Love's Travel Stop (above). It's quite nice and has a Hardee's restaurant, which is always a welcome sight for those who love the chain's hamburgers (especially the Big Cheeseburger).

But I felt a little wistful, because the construction of the Love's necessitated the demolition of the old (and shuttered) Homestead Inn, which was located slightly north of where the travel center is situated. Here's how it looked back in 2017, when I did a two-part post about it.
And here's how it looked near the end, during the spring of 2025. Pretty sad.
Thanks to Google Maps, we can see how it all went down from 2019 to 2025, and how the Love's Travel Stop is situated relative to the former Homestead Inn.
August 2019
Nov. 2021
Aug. 2022
July 2024
May 2025
Oct. 2025
The entire Homestead property used to provide everything Ohio Turnpike travelers could ever need: food, lodging, recreation and auto service. Here's a vintage postcard showing the layout.
At the far right of the postcard, you can see a Gulf service station. Today, the former station building is the only building still standing. An old 'Homestead Farms' sign also managed to survive.
I tried to drive right up to the building for a closer photo but a "NO TRESPASSING" sign, as well as one saying the property was under surveillance, had been erected to keep out nosy bloggers.
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousOctober 5, 2026 at 12:59 PM

    I remember going there for Easter or maybe some other holiday to eat out when I was very little with my parents and grandparents.Maybe 5-6.There was a stairway outside of the main house that went down to the basement or cellar. I tripped and fell down those steps from the top to the bottom.That is pretty much the only real memory I have of the old Homestead Inn.

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