The oldest hotels in every state show the history of the United States. Many of our families stem from other countries so that the history of other English-speaking nations is included through their hotels. However, America differed from most other countries because we were in the era of horse transportation. Towns developed a day's ride from the last stopping place for food and drink. Most other countries started with people traveling on foot.

Historic events, important people who stayed in these hotels, and exceptional features unlike other hotels are described. History happens when people talk to and act with each other, thus hotels without a gathering place like a restaurant are less likely to have much history. A recipe from each hotel is like a souvenir that can be created later at home. Thus, we solicited recipes from hotel management and were usually successful.