The Spotswood Hotel, located at the southeast corner of Eighth and Main Street in Richmond, Virginia, opened for business on January 1, 1861, and burned to the ground on Christmas Day, 1870.
President Jefferson Davis stayed at the Spotswood in May, 1861, amid great fanfare.
The Spotswood Hotel, April 15, 1865. Photograph by John Reekie. Library of Congress.
At least eight people died in the fire and an online memorial has been set up for the victims.
