Dating back to 1804 0r 1805, the Windsor Hotel was a Paris landmark for almost 140 years before it was destroyed by fire on January 29, 1945. The hotel, known as the “Indian Queen” in pioneer days, was on the corner of Main and Second Streets. Later the hotel was sold to Major Aris Throckmorton, a wealthy Virginia landowner, who ran the hotel on a lavish scale. He later went to Louisville where he erected the Galt House. In 1854, the first railroad came to Paris and a depot was built behind the hotel. The hotel was known as the Bourbon House by then and was the site of famous balls held during the Bourbon County Fair. In 1900, it was sold to a Lexington syndicate headed by a Judge Webb, and the name was changed to the Windsor Hotel. The 81-room hotel was owned by two brothers named Howard and managed by Mrs. Gertrude McMahon, who is shown with her son Tommy in the hotel courtyard. About 75 guests were staying at the hotel when it burned. Water pressure to fight the fire was very low due to the number of hoses used to battle the blaze. Kentucky Highway Patrolman Steve Bacon shot out some of the windows to allow water to get inside the building.