Bowling Green always held a reputation for good hotels; among them were the Davis Hotel, built in 1850, having 14 rooms, located on the Madison-Terre Haute Trail (now State Road 46); the Keiser Hotel in the Chaney Building in 1855; the Thompson Hotel, owned by J. D. Thompson; the Godgrey Hotel, built in 1907; and the Dalgarn Hotel (Murray Dalgarn, proprietor), owned by E. A. Cullin.

Other hotel owners were G. Anderson, B. Hall, D. Zenor, T. Harney, and A. T. Lansing.  The building in which the Cromwell Hotel and Tavern was housed was built by the Wingate family in 1857 on Main Street, near the west side of town.  It was originally built as a family home and later re-purposed to become a hotel.  It was a two-story wooden building known during the Civil War days as one of the leading hotels and gathering places for military corps and political headquarters in the early days of heated campaigns.

Source: The Brazil Times 10 May 1888