In 1909 a young Dartmouth College graduate named L.G. Treadway moved to South Williamstown to manage the Idlewild Inn. By 1912 he had acquired the Alumni House, former home of Professor Dodd. For $5. he purchased the name Williams Inn from a rooming house on Spring Street. From 1912 to 1974 The Williams Inn grew to have about 75 rooms and was loved by many. At the same time The Williams Inn became headquarters of a national chain of Charismatic Country Inns known originally as "A Real New England Inn" and later known as Treadway Inns which included about 55 Inns.

In 1974 that original old Inn was converted to the first women's dormitory upon the admission of women to the Williams College student body. It remains to this day as Dodd House and located behind Thompson Chapel.

At that time in 1974 a new 100 room Inn was built on the site previously occupied by the Kappa Alpha Fraternity which previous to that had been home of Harley Proctor, one of the founders of Proctor & Gamble.

In 1961 Carl Faulkner was introduced to the hotel business as an elevator operator at the then Sheraton Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston to help pay his way through college. By 1968 he had formed what was to become a small group of New England Inns, which acquired The Williams Inn in 1979. With the guidance and financial backing of a group of 18 partners this company grew as far west as Rochester NY where it acquired the former Treadway Inn on East Avenue.

In 1991 The Williams Inn became a independent family-owned Inn by Carl and Marilyn Faulkner, under whose attention it still operates. Their son David Faulkner has now assumed the role of General Manager and is responsible for the day to day operations of the Inn. His son Michael (born in January of 2003) has already begun to assert his presence at the Williams Inn and can be seen running throughout the Inn.

Many employees have worked here for many years. Notable among them is the Kemp family which had five brothers employed at one time or another since 1940. Clif worked 51 years mostly as a bartender and Eugene was here for 25 years as groundskeeper. Some Kemp relatives are still working here today. Currently we have several of our staff who have been here 20 years.

The Williams Inn sits in the center of a truly amazing part of the Northeast, and our area's history is only the beginning.