Pre-1800 Tennessee Inn Destroyed in Suspicious Fire

LIMESTONE, Tenn. (AP) -- Fire destroyed the Broylesville Inn, a 17th century structure believed to have hosted three U.S. presidents.

Fire officials are describing the blaze early Wednesday morning as ``suspicious'' and an arson investigation is under way.

The inn was engulfed in flames by the time the Limestone and Nolichucky volunteer fire departments responded at about 4:43 a.m. By daylight, all that remained of the two-story log and clapboard structure were two brick chimneys and smoldering rubble.

Steve Archer, chief of the Limestone Volunteer Fire Department, said firefighters could not find any apparent cause.

``It either set itself on fire on somebody helped it,'' Archer said.

The inn, originally built as a home, had stood empty since 1980. But oral history says that each of the three U.S. presidents from Tennessee - Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson - were lodgers there.

Limestone is about 15 miles southwest of Johnson City.