History

The Inez was named in honor of Inez Lenore Fass Scherck, the daughter of one of the original owners. The young Inez placed a 1904 quarter under the first brick laid for the hotel, according to information found in the building's cornerstone. The original building was finished in 1904 and the architect was G.T. Hallas of Hazlehurst. Later, a 24 room annex was completed in 1926. Originally, the building housed single hotel rooms, public baths, an elegant lobby and restaurant. Outside the second floor was a balcony which ran the length and width of the building on Monticello Street and Railroad Avenue.

The hotel was the center of social life for much of southwest Mississippi during its heyday. The second floor was used as a restaurant and as a ballroom for City Club, a local social club. Some of the downstairs area was once used by drummers from northern manufacturing firms who displayed their wares there to southwest Mississippi merchants. Hotels were usually the center of all social activity in a small town. When people go back to their hometowns, they usually want to see the churches, the schools and the hotel. The Inez stand on the site of Brookhaven's first brick building which was completed in 1865. It was demolished in 1904 for the hotel.