Which President Stayed at Your Favorite Bed and Breakfast
Author: JaneLeisteiner Total views: 13 Word Count: 563
WHO SLEPT HERE?: Stay where the famous have dined, danced and dreamt. For his honeymoon, Clark Gable and his beloved wife, Carole Lombard, stayed at the Gold Mountain Manor, a romantic inn tucked away in mountainous Big Bear, Calif. This retreat hosted many of the rich and famous.
For those of us who frequent bed and breakfasts or country inns, the myriad of statesmen, writers, actors and other adorned personalities who once visited these places is one of many characteristics that makes the experience so unique.
While some can boast of a famous guest or two, the John Rutledge House Inn in Charleston, S.C., has to be one of the most impressive historic bed and breakfasts. Its namesake not only served as the first governor of South Carolina, but as a Supreme Court Justice, as well. He also was one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution. If fact, he help co-write the Constitution, and first drafts of the precious document were written in the inn's ballroom. Oh, by the way, George Washington once dined there, as well. The innkeepers preserve and honor this history with the inn's its period dcor, antiques and carefully chosen reproductions.
Much of our nation's history is preserved at inns and bed and breakfasts. Authors Samuel Clemens and Jack London, as well as President Theodore Roosevelt were among the famous guests at the Vichy Hot Springs Resort & Inn in Ukiah, Calif. Although the lodging facilities have been updated, the 1860s naturally sparkling mineral baths remain unchanged. As you relax in a mineral bath, it's not hard to imagine the days when guests were able to discuss "Tom Sawyer" or "The Call of the Wild," with the authors.
Hacienda del Sol, an 1810 adobe home outside of Taos, N.M. has a rich and varied history. It once catered to young girls as a college preparatory school, with such notable surnames as Vanderbilt and Pillsbury. In the 1920s, owner Mable Dodge Luhan, a famous patron of the arts, hosted such notable guests as D.H. Lawrence and Georgia O'Keefe. In the late 1940s, Hacienda del Sol opened as a guest ranch and catered to such celebrities as Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable and John Wayne.
The Colonel Taylor Inn B&B and Gift Shop is named after Colonel Joseph D. Taylor, a four-term U.S. Congressman and Civil War veteran who built the house in 1878. Although he fought in the Battle of Fredericksburg against General Lee and his troops, he advised his superior, General Ambrose Burnside, against the attack, telling the General, "The carrying out of your plan will be murder, not warfare." He became friends with President William McKinley, whose hometown of Niles, Ohio was in the 17th district that Colonel Taylor represented. McKinley has been verifed as a guest here; President Garfield and Hayes are said to have visted as well.
At The General Lewis, a stagecoach that once delivered travelers to the springs on the James River and Kanawha Turnpike, rests under an arbor. Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson registered at this 1834 inn's walnut desk, which was retrieved from an old hot springs resort in the area.
Many of these historic hotels, bed & breakfasts and country inns would be worthy of interest and historic recognition even without the famous guests. But it's always nice for travelers to reminisce their journeys with the knowledge that George Washington did indeed once sleep here.
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About the Author
Jane Leisteiner has visited scores of B&Bs and loves discussing them. To find additional information on South Carolina bed and breakfast inns or Ohio bed and breakfasts, check out the American Historic Inns website.
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