This is the final installment in a series of posts exploring The Colonial Inn's past and present. Click here for the introduction and full list of posts. Enjoy!
For the last few weeks, The Time Travelers History Club has been sharing what we learned on a tour of the historic Colonial Inn in Hillsborough. This 180+ year old Inn is currently being revived and transformed into a boutique hotel and event space that perfectly combines historic and modern beauty, comfort, and hospitality. Are you curious to see what is inside the preserved white walls? To learn more about what the Colonial Inn will have to offer? Keep reading for a sneak-peek look in this final installment of Exploring Past and Present at The Colonial Inn.
As of our tour, the Colonial Inn was undergoing final construction work, so that is reflected in our pictures. Please note the hard work and time that this restoration process has taken. Even though the Inn is not completed in these pictures, it is easy to imagine just how beautiful this brought-back-to-life Colonial Inn will be.
Walk Through History
From the painstakingly restored front doors to the original wood floors to the old beams hidden within the walls, when you enter the Colonial Inn, you are walking through centuries of history. Months of careful restoration has brought these elements and many more back to life for you to explore. If only the walls could talk....
(By the way, if you love the way history is showcased in the Colonial Inn, continue reading for more examples!)
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| Photo courtesy AMB |
Literally walk through history when entering these original wooden doors!
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| Photo credit AB |
The original, restored stairway leads you up to the rooms on the second floor and the upper porch open to the public. Walk
up history!
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Photo courtesy AB
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These rustic floors are now shining from their meticulous restoration!
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| Photo courtesy AB |
Check out the graphic below to view the Colonial Inn from the 1860s until today! You can truly appreciate the past and present of the building by seeing how it has endured through the centuries.
Modern Comforts
While the Colonial Inn is full of history from floor to ceiling, modern comforts are not sacrificed. Quite the contrary! You can enjoy a stay in one of the Inn's 28 beautiful rooms and enjoy full amenities and service. The elegant fixtures, super soft headboard, and beds with adjustable settings, are just some of the features in each room designed to deliver a cozy experience.
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Photo credit The Colonial Inn Facebook
The navy blue pairs perfectly with the antique brass fixtures in the rooms throughout the building. The fabric is just as soft as it looks! |
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| Photo courtesy AMB |
Each mattress has varying degrees of firmness and your preference can be requested in advance, along with the temperature of the room.
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| Photo courtesy AMB |
The marble, white, and brass elements of the bathrooms make these spaces elegant.
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Photo courtesy AB
Isn't this vanity gorgeous? |
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| Photo credit AB |
This door to one of the outside rooms is very similar to the original front doors in color and style.
Luxurious Spaces
The rooms are not the only beautiful spaces in the Colonial Inn. We can't forget the bright and welcoming lobby with the hand-carved front desk, or the classy bar room with tables and seating area, or the dining room/event space with stately marble floors, or the outdoor patio and courtyard between the old and new buildings. These stunning spaces will take your breath away.
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| Photo credit The Colonial Inn Facebook |
Light fixtures in the lobby shine almost as brightly as the light itself!
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| Photo courtesy AMB |
The bar room features tables, the hand-carved bar, and a cozy seating area.
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| Photo courtesy AB |
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| Photo courtesy AB |
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| Photo credit The Colonial Inn Facebook |
The unfinished marble floor of the dining room and event center cannot take away from the beauty of this space, where many special memories will be made!
Photos credit AB
Small parts of a spacious courtyard that is perfect for events.
Wedding and Event Venue
The gorgeous Colonial Inn is the perfect place to celebrate. Whether it be a birthday or retirement party, dream wedding or reception, or simply a get-together with family and friends, this venue is so much more than a backdrop to your event. Imagine the memories that could be made in these beautiful spaces! The bar, dining room, and outdoor courtyard are all available to rent for your gathering, big or small.
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| Photo courtesy The Colonial Inn Facebook |
Want to exchange your I dos under these elegant lights? Yes, they do resemble wedding rings!
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| Photo credit AB |
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| Photo credit AB |
Along with the grassy courtyard, the patio between the old and new buildings will be available to accommodate your guests.
Community Meals
From its very beginning, the Colonial Inn has been welcoming not just strangers through its doors, but also the community. This legacy is still a very important part of the Inn's mission, especially since locals have advocated for its care throughout history and so strongly supported the efforts to save and preserve the structure. The Colonial Inn will continue to serve the community by offering weekly or twice-weekly meals open to everyone, not just those staying in the rooms. Many people still have memories of sharing Sunday dinner with family and friends before the Inn restaurant closed in 2001, and now the opportunity to renew those traditions has returned.
To make this exciting news even better, the menu will be locally sourced and historically inspired by recipes in the Colonial Inn cookbook. You won't want to miss the delicious Southern fare!
Photo credit DigitalNC.org
Example of a Colonial Inn menu from 1949. The Inn was renowned across the state for its delicious food, and it can now continue this legacy into the future!
Historical Scavenger Hunt
Who says kids cannot experience the past and present of this incredible piece of history? Not the Colonial Inn team! In fact, they welcome families and children to be a part of the Inn's story. In an effort to make the Inn exciting for everyone, there will be small wooden cars hidden around the complex and kids are encouraged to find them. Why cars? As yet another clever connection to history, the wooden cars will be painted to resemble real race cars that once zoomed around the nearby historic Occoneechee Speedway. They know that younger visitors may not be the only ones drawn to this fun scavenger hunt, so grown-ups of all ages are also welcome to participate!
Artwork
As previously mentioned, the Colonial Inn has always had strong ties to the community. This is even more true today, when artwork by local artists grace the long-standing walls. The Inn has partnered with multiple area artists to display their creations for sale with the creators receiving 100% of the profits. This not only supports local artists, but provides an ever-changing array of beauty for visitors.
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| Photo credit AB |
However, one piece will be permanent. "The Spirit of Lot 15," aptly named by Hillsborough historian Amanda Boyd, will hang in the lobby to welcome each and every newcomer. This amazing artwork (above) done by Jane Wolfgang Art is seven feet and three inches wide and ties the Colonial Inn to other people, places, and items of local historic value. It features buildings with fascinating stories like the Orange County Courthouse, Ayr Mount, Burwell School, and the Alexander Dickson House (now home to the Hillsborough Visitors Center) with the Eno River, River Walk, and representations of the Occoneechee Village and Occoneechee Speedway surrounding them. Faded into the sky are recipes from the Colonial Inn Cookbook, historic maps of the Inn grounds, and advertisements from the times when the Inn was known by other names. Dotted around the painting are people that have called Hillsborough home throughout its history. It is well worth it just to visit the Colonial Inn to simply absorb in person the creativity of this piece and the stories it shares.
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| Photo credit AB |
Front Porch
Last but certainly not least, we come to the Colonial Inn's cozy front porch. This is a space, along with the bar, that will always be open for the public to enjoy. It is the perfect place to relax and savor cinnamon rolls "as big as your face." Or share a cup of coffee that will be served daily (supplied by Carrboro Coffee Roasters) with a friend. Or simply take in the view of King Street from a higher vantagepoint. Covering the entire front of the large building, there is plenty of room on the porch to socially distance. Whatever your reason, to ponder, read, chat, or eat, spending time in this place is guaranteed to bring a sense of peace.
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| Photo credit AB |
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| Photo credit AB |
We hope that you have enjoyed this series of posts exploring the past and present of the Colonial Inn. Be sure to visit during the grand opening festivities coming very soon (tentatively set for November 12-14!) to soak up the beauty, history, and stories that this one lovely building contains.
What are you most looking forward to seeing when the Colonial Inn opens? Please let us know in the comments!
Special thanks to the General Manager. Elise Tyler, for the gift of her time, knowledge, and kindness. We so appreciate the tour!
< Previous Post: Restoring The Colonial Inn
Did you miss the previous posts about the Colonial Inn's journey to the present? Don't worry; you can find the full list
here or click on the links below.
My GGG Grandfather Henry Shutt, the Hatter, D. April Or May, 1811, had a haberdashery shop and house where he lived with his wife Elizabeth and their children from 1803 till 1811 on lot 15 (The Colonial Inn Lot), is known to have been buried on the lower portion of lot 15, apparently with one or more of the Shutt children. Elizabeth Shutt, later Mrs. James B. Dickey, owned Lot 15 Until May,1825, At Least. Mr. Edwin Lynch recalled the existence and the site of the Shutt graves.
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