On a Fairfax grant from 1766 and the site of a former blockhouse, John Vandiver built this house in the early 19th century, and it soon operated as an ordinary. Henry Trout purchased the house in 1869 and repaired damage done during the Civil War. In the latter half of the century, the house also served as a post office and polling place. In 1904, the property was sold to Henry Clause, the inn's last proprietor.