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North Conway, New Hampshire

The Wildflowers Inn

Norman
2004-08-11 15:13:45

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After being mesmerized by the beauty and ambiance of Inns, we started thinking about how nice it would be to live as innkeepers in one of these places."
These were the exact words Denise and Dave Broughton, proud owners of the Wildflowers Inn in North Conway, New Hampshire, conveyed to me when I asked them why they wanted to own a B&B. In 2002 their dream was realized.

What is so interesting about this B&B is the history attached to it. Built in 1878, this cozy Victorian cottage was once the summer home of a distinguished American Constitution historian, lawyer, scholar and Civil War Veteran from Boston, Dr. James Schouler (pronounced Skooler) and his wife Emily Fuller.

Apparently, the Schoulers first visited the area in 1871; fell in love with the surroundings, particularly the magnificent view of Mount Washington, and eventually decided to purchase a disused pasture, where the B&B now sits.

What remains of the original 1878 cottage are the floors, doors, moldings, heating pipes and radiators, windows and most of the walls. Slight additions have been added, here and there, but for the most part the inn has remained intact, as pictured in an 1879 issue of The American Architect and Building News. Notice the price tag at the time - $5000, a huge sum of money at the time! It was the first of several summer residences reflecting an era when socialites from Boston and New York would rendezvous in Conway.

Wildflower Inn maintains an unhurried gentility consisting of nine guest rooms all with private baths. Each room comes with air conditioning, ceiling fans, and data port, fireplaces, hot tubs, whirlpool tubs, radios, satellite/cable TV, and telephones. In addition, there is onsite, a BBQ grill, board games, computer, copier, desk, fax machine, Internet service, library, piano, VCR, washer/dryer and a wet bar, outdoor hot tub, gazebo, electronic dart board, pool table, cribbage ...