10/10/2026
An iconic presence on Centerville's square, The Continental Hotel has not operated as a break-even venture—either as a senior living facility or as a hotel and restaurant—since its opening by Morgan Cline in 1996.
Nevertheless, its importance as a cultural gathering place, tourism destination, and anchor business led Morgan to support it financially throughout his lifetime. The foundation continues that commitment as part of preserving his legacy and investing in the community he cared deeply about.
From 2016 through 2025, The Continental Hotel generated approximately $400,000 in hotel/motel tax revenue for Appanoose County. During the same period, it received $20,000 in Appanoose County Tourism grants to support targeted digital marketing efforts. That 5% reinvestment helped expand the hotel's online presence, increase room-night bookings, and ultimately contributed to dramatic growth in the annual hotel/motel tax revenue generated by The Continental Hotel for the community, from $36,401 in 2019 to consistently almost double that in recent years.
The foundation is mindful of the financial challenges facing our county and local organizations. We are excited that our five-year, $1 million grant commitment to Indian Hills Community College has now been fulfilled.
We are now in the process of reviewing grant applications submitted by local nonprofits, and look forward to awarding what we expect to be over $100,000 in grants later this year.
