Described in an 1895 travel guide called Mountain Scenery as having "a fine view" and being "a cool, pleasant place in summer," Sherrill's Inn was a way-station for stagecoach travelers and cattle drivers on the "Hickory Nut Turnpike," which connected Rutherfordton and Asheville, throughout most of the nineteenth century. The inn was built sometime between 1839 and 1850 for Bedford Sherrill, who was appointed a Commissioner by the 1841 General Assembly for the purpose of building and keeping up the Turnpike. Sherrill's Inn was opened to travelers at least as early as February of 1850.

After the Western North Carolina Railroad extended its line into Asheville, the inn saw a large increase in visitors. Between 1880 and 1909, Sherrill's Inn hosted guests from 31 states as well as nine foreign countries. The inn hosted several well-known guests, including U.S. Representative Zebulon Baird Vance in 1859 (later North Carolina Governor and U.S. Senator), former U.S. President Millard Fillmore in 1858, and Governor Andrew Johnson of Tennessee in 1859. Sherrill's Inn was operated by the Sherrill family until 1908.

The present large frame building incorporates two early log structures and subsequent additions. The inn is an excellent example of a saddle-bag log house with an exterior stair. Several Federal Revival style exterior features are the result of twentieth-century renovations. The east shed room contains large murals depicting the history of the inn, painted in the early twentieth century by the present owner's mother, Mrs. J. G. K. McClure. A number of supporting buildings of various ages surround the inn, including a still-functioning stone spring house, a log meat-house, two rows of cottages, and a large barn with a high pitched roof.

Information and photos courtesy of the National Register for Historic Places Asheville, NC Travel Itinerary, a subsidiary of the National Park Service.