By Jack Kneece
(March 2008) When you walk into the Lovill House Inn Bed & Breakfast, owners Scott and Anne Peecook make you feel like family members home for a vacation. The historic inn, at 404 Old Bristol Road just west of Boone, N.C., was built in 1875 by Captain Edward Francis Lovill, a Civil War veteran, who later practice law in the home. He also was a founding trustee of Appalachian State University.
The papers that established the college were drafted in the front parlor of the home by Lovill and B.B. Daugherty. Lovill was a decorated Confederate officer who was wounded four times. He also later was elected to the North Carolina State Senate. Capt. Lovill would be proud of the painstaking restoration of the house were he alive today.
This writer recently checked in for a stay at the two-story home, which has hardwood maple floors in some rooms and pine in others. Each of the six furnished guest rooms have private baths, telephones, cable TV and VCRs with a VCR library for guest use.
The inn is on 11 wooded acres that provide the perfect backdrop for the experience. Much of the trim inside the home, which has a fireplace in the parlor, is of rare and valuable wormy chestnut.
Scott Peecook was a commander in the U.S. Navy––serving for much of his career on an aircraft carrier––and his wife, Anne, worked for the Maryland Legislature in Annapolis, Md. when they decided to find a bed and breakfast "for our second life," Scott said. They chose well.
"We decided to own an inn because after twenty-one years in the Navy, Anne and I were looking to do something together. In the Navy, Anne always cooked and entertained guests and members of the wardroom. In our civilian careers after the Navy, we both were looking at promotions and decided that what we were doing wasn't what we wanted to continue doing. We trained at a favorite inn in the Shenandoah Mountains and looked for an opportunity for us in the North Carolina mountains. We were attracted to the Mountains, having spent a lifetime on the water." They said they never tire of the clear mountain air and beautiful vistas.
The two-story inn, which has had a Four Diamond rating by the AAA for 11 years, serves a gourmet breakfast and light snacks in the afternoon. Room rates generally range from $169 to $219, Scott Peecook said.
My room on the second floor had a very comfortable four-poster bed, telephone, a television set in an armoire with a nifty directional turntable that would allow TV watching from the bed or from the love seat.
Flanking the bed were two large green ceramic lamps on side tables, one of them next to an electric digital clock. There were a total of four lamps in the bedroom, which included a coffee table at the love seat and a writing desk. The modern shower and bath had beige ceramic tiles and custom toiletries—shampoo, conditioner and body lotion— under the Lovill House brand. Two potted plants helped give the bedroom an airy and friendly ambience. The blinds were of tan wooden slats and the room temperature was regulated by a thermostat in the room. I kept it a cozy 70 while sleet and ice coated the trees outside.
Breakfast consisted of a fruit cup with a good mix of fresh fruit, a frittata style omelet, Belgian waffles with maple syrup, stone-ground, slow-cooked grits, sausage, coffee and orange juice. Anne, a gourmet cook, does the cooking and Scott does the serving. Guests usually have a friendly chat at breakfast. Peecook said they host guests from all over the nation. When I was there, one of the couples had checked in to celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary. They loved the inn and told me they had been there before.
The inn has been lovingly restored. Three of the original five brick fireplaces have been rebuilt. On the one in the parlor, the mason left a bear print indentation as his signature. On one wall, a muzzle-loading shotgun, circa 1842, hangs and adds to the vintage feel of the home. Scott said it was purchased by his son for the inn and noted that it was built about the time Capt. Lovill was born.
The inn is between mountain ridges and a 16-foot hemlock hedge. A spring-fed stream runs through the grounds, the fresh running water perhaps the reason it was chosen by Capt. Lovill as a building site.
The inn is a short walk to King Street shopping; ASU is one mile away, and many ASU alumni have stayed there. Guests enjoy picnicking by the stream in the summer or just lounging in the hammock or sitting on the front porch. The porc is very popular with guests during the summer.
Smoking is allowed on the porch and elsewhere outside but not in the inn. One separate cabin on the grounds has been a favorite of honeymooners. In another adjacent to the parking space, Scott and Anne live, although they spend most of their time attending guests in the inn.
Each night, the Peecooks turn down the bedding and place Ghiradelli chocolate and mint bar on the pillows of guests.
The Peecooks also offer special vacation packages, including a "Romance/ABC Package" that includes a bottle of "something special," a bouquet of flowers and a container of chocolate strawberries.
Other special packages include a relaxation and stress relief package that includes massages and special beverages and cheese and snacks. A Valentine and romance package includes special treatment for couples celebrating Valentine's Day. A military package is 10 percent off to "show our appreciation for your service to our country." Couples celebrating an anniversary can make special requests that will be accommodated to the extent possible.
The Peecooks also help plan day trips, provide reservations to area restaurants, hot cider by the fire in the parlor, birthday cakes, and stress: "We take our cues from you."
In addition to cable TV, the Peecooks have assembled a huge library of VCR movies including some of the latest releases as well as classics.
Many guests use the inn as a base for hiking, skiing at nearby Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Hawksnest and other recreational destinations.
 The Lovill name was retained for the inn, Scott said, because of the rich history of the place. He said four of Lovill's great-granddaughters have dropped by and always add to he historic lore of the home in chats.
Many guests just enjoy shopping in Boone and other nearby towns, purchasing unique mountain crafts, paintings and other goods. Some enjoy just visiting the Appalachian cultural Museum and the Daniel Boone Native Gardens. Many wild flowers only indigenous to he mountain area bloom in the spring and some amateur botanists and horticulturists come during this time of year. Many other visitors are parents or family of students at Appalachian State University, particularly during commencement and graduation. Many others are just ASU alumni who enjoy coming back from time to time to visit the school.
Reservations can be made at 1-(800) 849-9466. (Updated March 2008)
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