An 1880 photograph of the DeYarman House Hotel.

In the summer of 1875, Hugh and Sophia DeYarman from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, made arrangements to put up a hotel in [what would later be] Orange City. Hugh DeYarman had owned a hotel in Eau Claire. Sophia, a widower, first husband had also owned a hotel in Eau Claire, On the gently rolling terrain they found only scattered houses among orange groves. By November of 1875, a one room cottage had been built to house seven men working at the saw mill and building the hotel and Mrs. DeYarman who cooked for the lot of them. Later that building would become the hotel kitchen. A second building was constructed to provide sleeping quarters for employees. The hotel, known as the DeYarman House was built as a resort hotel and for many years the only one of its kind in the area. It opened in January, 1876 with an office, lobby and public rooms on the first floor. An inside stairway ascended from the lobby. Another stairway was on the outside of the building at the far end of the bedrooms, of which there were 12. The hotel was the first public building among the orange groves. The first religious services were preached by Reverend Lewton and held at the hotel.

On July 4th, 1877 towns’ people celebrated the holiday at the hotel with a picnic and brass band. As early as 1876, a group of women met in each other’s homes every other week to sew and read aloud. By 1879, the accumulated books were taken to the hotel and the Orange City Library was formally organized. In 1882, the hotel was the sight of two days of negotiations concerning the city incorporation. In 1886, owner of the hotel, Hugh DeYarman, serves as the fourth mayor of Orange City, serving a term of six years. Only five other mayors served terms as long or longer. Mr. DeYarman also served as postmaster of Orange City from 1889 to 1893. Sometime during the early 1900’s, two additional wings were added to the west and east sides. The west wing addition added 10 hotels rooms, five upstairs and five with a shared bathroom between two rooms. The East wing added a dining room and kitchen on the first floor and 8 rooms on the upstairs. The hotel is still open for business as the 1876 Heritage Inn.