The Lawrence Developing Company built the three-story, 38-room Keystone Inn for $50,000, with architect G.M. MacDonough designing it as an attraction for potential settlers and investors in Keystone Heights. On New Year’s Eve 1923, before its grand opening, developers held a festive dinner party there, after which the men formed the Keystone Board of Trade to promote the area and the women formed the Woman’s Club to serve community needs. On New Year’s Day 1924, the hotel opened with more than 150 attendees, including notable guests from Green Cove Springs, Palatka, and Starke, as well as state officials including future governor John W. Martin. The inn became a hub of social activity and a meeting place for organizations, offering large rooms, connecting baths, hot and cold running water, electricity, telephone service, fine dining, and a large porch overlooking Lake Geneva. It helped fuel Keystone Heights’ growth by giving potential investors an attractive place to stay. In the 1920s, it served as headquarters for a National Federation of Women’s Clubs convention and hosted delegates from every state, while speakers, entertainers, and educators affiliated with the Chautauqua Movement frequently gathered there or at nearby Chautauqua Circle. During the 1930s, it helped transform Keystone Heights into a summer resort town. During World War II, pilots training at the Keystone Army Air Corps Field and families of servicemen stationed at Camp Blanding stayed there, and the University of Florida football team also used the inn because coaches believed the team played better on game days if kept away from Gainesville’s pre-game activities. As its popularity declined in the early 1950s, it was converted into a boarding house. On October 3, 1954, a fire caught the third floor and the rest of the building suffered water damage, after which it stood vacant and unrepaired. With a grant from the State of Florida, the City of Keystone Heights purchased the property in 1999, demolished the building in 2000 because of its neglected condition, and converted the site into a walking park for local residents.