How it All Started

I had taught school 15 years. Though at times it had been very enjoyable, I could not see myself teaching another 15 until retirement. I guess you could say I was a little burnt out. The fall of 1985 found me dreading the 1st day back after summer break. When all of a sudden an idea popped into my head.  Open a bed & breakfast! Later thinking back on this moment I really think God must have placed that idea in my mind. There were no bed & breakfasts in our area, which I thought was a good thing. And hosting visitors who came to see the Smoky Mountains would certainly be a rewarding experience. I did teach one more year, but I could not get the idea out of my head. I read all I could on B&B’s and talked my husband, Norman, into drawing the plans for a Victorian style farmhouse. He was a principal and architectural draftsman.

The perfect spot would be right here on the family farm. With no brothers or sisters I only had to persuade my parents to let me use about 3 acres. They were a little reluctant because we would have to borrow the money to build, using the land and our home for collateral. Being the social people that they were, always inviting people into their home, they soon agreed. Once we opened in July 1987 they loved meeting the guests, especially my dad, he never met a stranger. Mother loved cooking for people, making flower arrangements and telling me exactly how everything should be done. They were in their mid 70’s by this time. I wished we had built the Inn 10 years earlier so they would have had more time to enjoy it.

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