Discover the Historic Roots of Tara - A Country Inn

A farmhouse transformed into a Greek Revival mansion. A town lost to history. And a legacy preserved.

In 1854, Pennsylvania legislator Charles Koonce built a red Federal-style brick home atop a hill overlooking the thriving river town of Clarksville. A man of conviction, Koonce cast his vote to ratify the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, and local lore holds that his home was part of the Underground Railroad.

Two generations later, his grandson Samuel reimagined the residence, whitewashing the brick and adding a sweeping veranda with stately Ionic columns and twin sunrooms. The transformation gave the home its distinctive Greek Revival character — and decades later inspired Donna Winner and her late husband, Jim, to envision its next chapter as Tara – A Country Inn.

Clarksville once flourished along the Shenango River, then part of the Erie Canal Extension and a vital link between Lake Erie and Pittsburgh. But progress reshaped the region. Rail transportation diverted commerce to nearby Sharon, and in the 1960s the Army Corps of Engineers flooded the Shenango River Valley, submerging the town beneath what is now the Shenango Reservoir. Homes, churches, and cemeteries were relocated to higher ground — yet Tara remained.

After standing vacant for years, the mansion captured the imagination of Jim and Donna Winner, who purchased the property in 1984. Following extensive restoration and thoughtful additions, Tara – A Country Inn opened in 1986, preserving not only a remarkable home, but the last remaining landmark of a town that once was.