613 North Augusta Street
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Last updated on November 21, 2024
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The Pannell’s Inn was in the African American community of Staunton along Augusta Street. The Inn provided a place for African American travelers and tourists to stay during segregation and discrimination. The house was purchased by Staunton’s first African American physician, Dr. Morris W. Pannell, and his wife for their home and office. The house was passed to their daughter Placid, who established a boarding house known as Pannell’s Inn from the 1930s into the 1960s. The boarding house was owned by Placid and her husband, Frank. Placid taught piano lessons at the house for several years. Frank operated a barbershop at the back of the property at 512 N New Street, and it is still standing. Pannell’s Inn was listed in multiple issues of The Negro Travelers’ Green Book. Family descendant Placid Jean Parker chose to demolish the three-story log cabin building in May 1977. The Staunton Augusta County African American Research Society dedicated a historical marker to Pannell’s Inn in 2022.
