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Diamond in the Rough
For many years, Cincinnatians Nancy and Bob Swartzel
routinely passed the Willis Graves home, without a
glance, on their way to the Burlington Antique Show at
the Boone County Fairgrounds.
By then, the house was sporting dirty, white siding and
a hip roof over the front porch.
One day a "For Sale" sign appeared in the yard and they
took a closer look. In December of 1991, the Swartzels
bought the property and began renovation under the
direction of Master-carpenter Bob Brames.
Brames and his wife Jean (who are Nancy's parents)
worked with Nancy and Bob as they all
poured sweat and determination into the project. In
August 1995, the inn opened for business. It was
declared a National Register of Historic Places Home on
June 19, 1979.
About
the Innkeepers
Things have a way of working out.
If Nancy and Bob Swartzel had to guess early on, they would have never
dreamed they would be living in Boone County or running
a bed and breakfast.
After the complete restoration of the Federal house
in 1995, Nancy's parents became the
innkeepers. By 2001, it had gotten to
be too much for Nancy's parents to run. Nancy
and Bob had to make a decision.
Nancy and Bob
lived in Edgewood, Kentucky (suburbia), a no weeds in
the yard kind of place. They knew that they didn't want
an empty house. Their two children, at the time in
college, were not living at home. Nancy and Bob asked
them what they thought about selling the house that they
were raised in, and they were fine with the idea. (Now
the kids say, "Never sell the bed and breakfast.")
The decision to
become innkeepers came at the perfect time.
Years before, it would have been difficult to sell the house
in Edgewood with so many memories, but one day it
became the right thing to do. They don't regret selling
the house, maybe because the bed and
breakfast has so many memories as well. It was an easy
adjustment - Nancy says the hardest part was getting rid
of all the stuff that accumulates over the years.
These days, life
sure is different compared to living in Edgewood. Nancy says that innkeeping requires 3 major things:
You need to be a morning person, like people, and have
lots of energy.
Everyday these three things are necessary, along with
a multitude of other skills.
Their daughter,
who now lives in a big city, says that everything smells
"green and good" when she comes home. Their son, who is
in the Navy, helps with just about anything mechanical.
He is responsible for the pleasant sound of music all
around the house, inside and out, along with other home
improvement projects. His Weimaraner, Lola, lives with
the Swartzels.
Nancy and Bob's
kid's rooms may be long gone, but there are plenty of
rooms for guests visiting the bed and breakfast, many of
whom find themselves returning again and again to this
special place.
Cabin Rescue
About ten years after purchasing the Federal house, the Swartzels made another
purchase – for $1 – to salvage a second historic
landmark.
This time it was an 1850s log cabin, originally owned by farmer
William C. Rouse.
The cabin sat squarely in the middle of a proposed
runway at the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky
International Airport. It was wrapped in battered white
siding and lined with layers of faded wallpaper.
Nancy and Bob arranged to have the two hundred and
sixteen poplar logs dismantled and hauled on flat bed
trucks over four miles to their inn. After two years of
reassembly and renovation, their log cabin getaway
opened to guests in November 2004.
Holidays at the B & B
During the
holidays, there is no shortage of decorations at
Burlington's Willis Graves Bed and Breakfast Inn. It
takes everyone
almost two weeks to decorate the main house and log
cabin. Rooms are available during the
holidays unless otherwise posted.
Click HERE for Holiday Photos
|
burlington's Willis graves
entry
ed Bladden, log Cabin
restorer |
About The Innkeepers
