 The 5,500 square foot Lovill House Inn Opened in June 1993. Photo by Adam Dixon
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by ALLISON CASEY
Lifestyles Editor
On a wintery Sunday in 1903 B.B. Dougherty, Captain Edward Francis Lovill and his son W.R. Lovill gathered by the fireplace in the front parlor of The Lovill House to sign the papers that began Appalachian State University.
As a lawyer and the only skilled typist, W.R. Lovill drafted the document as his father and Dougherty dictated to him.
The 5,500 square
foot Lovill House, now owned by D. Anne Peecook and Scott T. Peecook,
opened as a bed and breakfast in June 1993.
“I can’t imagine any better place to have a [bed and breakfast],” Anne said.
In the
seven years the Peecooks have owned the Inn, Scott said he tries to
catch up with as many of the Lovill grandchildren as possible.
A few
years ago, granddaughter Vera Lovill who sold the home in 1974, told
Scott there were not three people, but four in the room where the
documents were signed.
“She
told me ‘It’s all true but one detail. There were four people in the
room. My mamma was a little girl,’” Scott said. “I have not
collaborated that story, but I have no reason to doubt [Vera Lovill].
She was just there keeping warm by the fire and staying close to her
dad, having nothing to do with the proceedings. I get goose bumps every
time I tell that story.”
Located on Old Bristol Road, The Lovill House Inn is nestled behind a 16-foot hemlock hedge just outside of downtown Boone.
The Peecooks bought the bed and breakfast in 2001 and became the home’s fourth owners.
As a former member of the Navy, Scott spent nine years away during his 21 years of service.
“We wanted to do something together. We decided to live our dream,” Anne said.
After
spending a lifetime by the water, The Peecooks completed research
online and made a list of various properties in the mountains for sale.
“I took
a 1300 mile road trip, making ‘x’s’ along the way next to the
properties,” Anne said. “None of them were right for one reason or
another. Then I drove into Boone. From the minute I walked into this
house, I knew it was right. It was a good feeling.”
The Lovill House Inn boasts all original hardwood floors in the five rooms named after local towns and an outdoor cabin.
“People
come here for so many different reasons,” Anne said. “It’s a privilege.
We have an opportunity to help people. Sometimes people come to get
awayand recharge their minds and bodies, or to rekindle their
relationships with their spouses.”
The Peecooks live in a cabin on the property and run a 24-hour service desk, always on call for their guests.
A
typical day begins with Anne cooking a full service breakfast of fruit,
eggs, yogurt grits, potatoes and “something that requires syrup.”
From
planning daily activities to freshening rooms and caring for the 12
perennial gardens of hydrangeas and dahlias, the couple does not stop
working for their guests.
“We
thoroughly love what we do and we’re good at what we do,” Scott said.
“But the bottom line is, we’re truly blessed, and we love to have
people here to share it with.”
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