In April, during a dedication ceremony announcing that the intersection of Old Baltimore Pike and Route 796 in Jennersville would be realigned in the coming year, the historic Red Rose Inn building was opened to visitors.

While the exterior of the building has been renovated and a new roof has been added in preparation for the building's eventual use by the township, the inside remains much as it was left.

Layers of old paint, worn floorboards and chipped plaster showed the building's centuries of use, but the original rippled-glass windows and huge fireplaces stand as reminders of what once was. The building's top floor, with its low ceiling and twisting corridors, was a little spooky, calling up the many stories of ghosts who might wander the building's halls.

For the thousands of drivers who pass by the building every day and wonder what it's like inside, here are some images taken during a walk-through last month. The Red Rose Inn stands poised to become something new in the coming years, but it will always retain the shadows of its past.

Photos and text by John Chambless