History
The stately 19th century Union Hotel stands proudly on the center of Flemington's Main Street, a site that has provided respite for weary travelers since 1814.
The first hotel was built in that year by Neal Hart. Since then, the property has changed hands and undergone renovations and rebuilding many times.
The present structure, a historical landmark, was completed in 1878. The mansard roof, gingerbread trim and pillared loggia provide an elegant focal point to Victorian Flemington. While under new management, the hotel has undergone complete renovations; however, the embossed metal ceiling and some of the original terra cotta flooring were preserved.
But history lingers in the inn. For 46 days in January and February of 1935, the Union Hotel was the communications center for a world hungry for bulletins about the Trial of Bruno Hauptmann, on trial for kidnap-murder of Colonel Charles Lindbergh's baby son. The county courthouse across the street provided the drama, but the Flemington dateline in every daily paper and on every radio broadcast across the nation and Europe originated from the Union Hotel.
As a stagecoach stop, as a focal point in history, and as a gathering spot for business people, tourists and area residents, the Union Hotel remains a central part of the town of Flemington.