I love when people give kids big opportunities, and that’s why I was so excited when General Manager Elise Tyler of the Colonial Inn in Hillsborough, North Carolina, agreed to give the Time Travelers History Club a tour of this restored boutique inn. Our resulting trip made the perfect Field Work Friday destination (even if our days of the week are a bit off).
The combination of varied history and current transformation made this a perfect spot for my history club members to tour. Tyler was a kind and generous guide, giving us keen insight into both the history of the building and the future plans for the site. *Because the Inn is in the final stages of restoration and is not yet open to the public, my pictures do include covered furniture, stacked furniture, and workers busily putting the final touches in place. With the attention to detail being paid in this restoration, I am certain that every care will be made for a gorgeous finished product.
One of the things I found most fascinating is that, like much early American history, the Inn’s origins are foggy. It has been proven to be in existence in 1838, but local legend dates it back as far as 1759, although some written records seem to dispute that. During the restoration of the Inn, however, wall surfaces were removed for what appears to be the very first time, uncovering oak trees that were used as the original beams for the earliest construction – with the bark still attached! How incredible is that? This may lend credence to the theory of the earlier date, and further testing is planned with the hopes of uncovering a definitive answer.
For now, though, that part of the Inn has been transformed into a bar. As a colonial Inn would have been a pub in the best sense of the word, this is fitting – and it’s beautiful. Reclaimed wood was used to construct the outside of the bar with the ‘Colonial Inn North Star’ pattern, a shape found in the original woodwork and now carried throughout the design.
From there, we moved to the entryway, where the check-in desk will be. Tyler told us about the restoration of the staircase, which had five spindles that had to be replaced. She dared us to find the carved replacements; nobody has been able to identify them yet!
Our next stop definitely changed up the vibe. I didn’t even try to take pictures in here as it’s not possible for my camera to capture the glamor and style in this room. From the large marble tiles on the floor to the glittering chandeliers overhead, the event space will be a marvelous place to host a small wedding or reception, a retirement party or baby shower, or whatever else your heart desires!
Have no fear, though: the Inn’s history was not ignored, even in this room. These are the backs of the chairs that were chosen especially for this space because of the star shape in the back. Can you see it in this stack of chairs? even here, the ‘Colonial North Star’ guided the design in this beautiful space.
If you look behind the chairs, you’ll even see the original clapboard exterior of the next room. This space was an addition to the original Inn at one point in history, and the designers kept this element, making this space even more special.
The event space features a wall of windows looking out onto a beautiful brick patio. There are also dueling, double-story fireplaces at the other end of the room, topped with mirrors that create endless reflections across the space.
This is an inn, however, and the guest rooms are important. We visited several rooms in the original building to see how the structure is impacting the modern design and yet how the same luxurious features are being added to each. With spacious bathrooms, custom headboards, special mattresses, and temperature controls individual to each room, the Colonial Inn definitely plans to personalize your visit and make it special.
Rooms on the front of the Colonial Inn face this second-story porch. This public space will be open for guests to enjoy. The Inn plans to have a small-bites style menu available in the morning that includes specialty coffee from Carrboro Coffee and “cinnamon buns as big as your face.” Our club is definitely planning to return after opening to hold a meeting on this porch and test out those buns!
The woodwork on the outside of the windows is interesting, isn’t it? It was created during an earlier renovation of the Inn designed by Jule Gilmer Korner – famous for Korner’s Folly – and is one of the few remaining examples of his work.
Seeing how the original Colonial Inn has been transformed into a modern business was fascinating. The space to the right in the picture above was just landscaped, creating a beautiful area perfect for small outdoor weddings. The building ahead mimics the architectural style of the original building and contains 21 rooms in two styles. Tyler told us about artifacts found during construction – does anyone need a horseshoe? – and about the ways they envision the Inn operating once open.
I think it’s important for our kids to see people work hard. It’s important to see that old things not only have meaning, but also value and purpose. It’s important to recognize the creativity that it takes to repurpose things and to make plans work. It’s important to be flexible and practical and to use both when running a business.
Elise Tyler’s work embodies all of these things, and she also showed us just how amazing the Colonial Inn is. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and are eager to visit again after opening day.
What aspect of the Colonial Inn interests you the most?
The Time Travelers is a local history club for middle- and high-school students. They compete in National History Day, record podcasts, and host events for the community. This month they are featuring the Colonial Inn in a series of blog posts over the next four weeks. Stop by the landing page here to find a more complete picture of what they learned – and just how special preserving this building is.
What are your thoughts?