From 1879 to 1890 the Sherman House was a popular stop for the passenger trains passing through Elk Falls. Like the famed Harvey Houses, passengers and crew could get a good meal and even room if they needed to stay. But the old Sherman House saw well over a hundred Kansas summers and winters come and go and gradually fell into sad disrepair.

Fortunately, Steve and Jane Fry saw the potential and moved the building in 1982 to its present location just off Highway 160 in this tiny Southeast Kansas village. Over the next 10 years, it was lovingly restored to its former dignity and beauty.