William Keeler & Anna Keeler

Residents from 1815 to 1829

Timothy Keeler died in 1815. Ownership and management of T. Keeler’s Inn passed to Timothy and Esther’s son, William. Their daughter Anna – William’s sister – then elected to leave her post teaching in an elementary school to help her brother operate the business. They renamed the property W. Keeler’s Hotel.

In 1823, William built an addition on the south side of the home, to create another kitchen on the ground floor and extra bedrooms above it. In doing so, William and Anna were trying to align their home and business with ideas about gentility at the time, which dictated that kitchens should be removed from main living areas, to “hide” working spaces from public view. The new kitchen had a standalone baking oven, a major improvement for both culinary and safety reasons. William also made changes to the business, tearing down Timothy’s general store to build the kitchen.

William died unexpectedly in 1827 and Anna became the sole owner and keeper of the hotel. After receiving her inheritance, she married her long-time suitor, Abijah Resseguie.

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