The Sanford Duncan Inn was built in 1819 as a stagecoach inn along the route from Nashville to Louisville (and is now US31W).
When land surveyors were looking to define the broder between Tennessee and Kentucky, their equipment messed up causing them to veer off course, and instead of fixing their mistake, they gave some of Tennessee's land to Kentucky. Both states claimed a right to it, and this Inn is located in that land.
The area soon became a popular place to have duels, since if any police arrived to stop it, the duelers would tell the police they had no jurisdiction. Often times, those wishing to duel, such as Sam Houston (and sometimes both participants) would spend the night in this inn.
I first learned of this place when I blogged about a nearby Rock City Barn here:
see-rock-city.blogspot.com/2007/01/barn-corn-and-state-bo...
I am a descendant of Sandford Duncan, and as much as I hate to admit it, legend has it that the story of the surveyors' equipment's messing up may not be entirely accurate. Sandford Duncan, either because he was a loyal Kentuckian or, more probably, because he had a profitable inn in a state (Kentucky) where dueling was legal, wanted his property to be in Kentucky rather than in Tennessee. Because of Mr. Duncan's hospitality (or because of the liquor he furnished the surveyors) they moved the state line so that the Duncan farm and it's "Duelin' Ground," would remain in Kentucky. Rather than surveyor's error, it was probably dueling and strong drink which accounted for the strange dip in the state line.
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