A good bed & breakfast offers a unique setting or feature, a cozy room, and a tasty breakfast. A great bed & breakfast offers all those attributes plus a warm and cordial host (or hosts) who know how to pamper guests without being intrusive.
Just recently I had the pleasure of spending a few days with Carol, a friend since our college days, at the Recess Inn in Ethel, MO. Ethel is a small town of 62 residents, nestled in the rolling hills of north-central Missouri. The Recess Inn is aptly named – the building was the town’s school from 1910 to 1980. The adjacent gymnasium was built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and now, although under private ownership, still serves as a community center in many ways.
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| Ethel is located on Highway 149 in Macon County |
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| The 62 residents of Ethel welcome you |
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| Recess Inn Bed and Breakfast, once the town's school |
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| Yvonne's college friend, Carol, peeking out of the front door |
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| The gym occupied a separate building. It was built by the CCC, which probably dates it to the 1930's, some 20 years after the school opened |
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| United States Post Office, Ethel, MO |
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| Sign as you approach Ethel shows the mileage to all of the other towns named Ethel |
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| Ethel was once a railroad town. Now, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) trains rumble right through town, maybe on their way to another "Ethel" |
Each of the guest rooms was once a classroom. The
former library is now a cozy sitting area for guests. A hearty country
breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit, orange
juice and coffee fortified us for antiquing forays to the nearby towns of Macon
(30 minutes southeast) and Kirksville (about an hour north.) Our visit was made most enjoyable by
innkeeper Nancy Mumford.
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| Doors to guest rooms on the 2nd floor stand ajar. All of these rooms were formerly classrooms. Stairs lead up to the 3rd floor and down to the 1st floor |
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Yvonne and Carol enjoy breakfast in the room that was once the school lunchroom
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| The former library in the old school has been turned into a comfortable sitting room. Note the original blackboard on the left wall. |
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| Carol and Yvonne's room at Hilltop B & B once housed the "primary grades" |
Another charming bed and breakfast in rural
Missouri is the Hilltop Inn, located in Glasgow. Hilltop Inn offers a panoramic view of the
town and the Missouri River valley below. Owners Gary and Vivian Becker have opened
their lovely Victorian home to guests who want to step back in time for a brief
hiatus. A scrumptious breakfast is
served in the formal dining room. My
mom, Dorothy, and I enjoyed our stay in late April as the jonquils and peach
trees were just coming into bloom. Wandering through town was a pleasant way to
spend an afternoon. I went to college
just thirteen miles south, in Fayette, and did my student teaching in the
Howard County R-II School District in Glasgow.
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| Hilltop Bed and Breakfast, Glasgow, MO |
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| View of the Missouri River from Hilltop B & B |
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| Glasgow was once a prosperous Missouri River town, as evidenced large number of brick houses in the area. |
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| This was my and my Mom's room at Hilltop B & B in April 2014 |
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| Yvonne and her Mom in the parlor of Hilltop Bed and Breakfast, April 2014 |
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| Interesting architecture in downtown Glasgow, MO |
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| The Glasgow Public Library, the oldest library in Missouri. This building is also the longest to be continually used as a library west of the Mississippi River |
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| The soda fountain in Henderson's Drug Store. Henderson's opened in 1841 and is now being run by the 5th generation of the founder's family |
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| First United Methodist Church. The carving of the fur trapper in the foreground was done with a chain saw and is the stump of a tree that once stood on this spot |
The Loganberry Inn in Fulton, MO is another great
bed and breakfast in a wonderfully historic location. It is within walking distance of the National
Churchill Museum as well as Westminster College and William Woods University. The Loganberry, a grand Victorian built in
1899, is presided over by owners Cathy and Carl McGeorge. Cathy demonstrates her expertise daily at the
breakfast table. She has been a guest chef
for Dierbergs' Cooking School in St. Louis since 2004. When you sit down to breakfast you might be
treated to dishes such as Grand Marnier French Toast or Eggs Florentine.
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| Loganberry Inn Bed & Breakfast, Fulton, MO |
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| The Church of St. Mary the Virgin was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in England. It was dismantled, moved to Fulton and reassembled. The Churchill Museum is housed in the lower level. |
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| An actual part of the Berlin Wall, moved to Fulton after the wall came down in November 1989. It was in Fulton that Winston Churchill made his famous "Iron Curtain" speech in 1946. |
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| This sculpture is entitled "Breakthrough" and is made from 8 contiguous pieces of the infamous Berlin Wall. The artist is Edwina Shandys, granddaughter of Sir Winston Curchill |
I’ve had the opportunity to visit the Loganberry
with my friend Carol, with my mom, Dorothy, and with my husband, Mike. Part of the fun of this inn is staying in
rooms occupied by famous former guests.
The late Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of England, delivered
a speech at Westminster College in 1996 and stayed at the Inn. The former President of Poland and 1983 Noble
Peace Prize winner, the late Lech Walesa, stayed at Loganberry during a visit
to Fulton in 1998. |
| Carol and Yvonne in the living room of the Loganberry Inn in Fulton, MO |
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| The President's Room. This is the room in which Lech Walesa stayed when he visited Fulton to deliver a speech in 1998. |
Each inn offers a unique get-away. Spending quality time with family and friends
enriches our lives and adds another dimension to our Road Stories.
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| Yvonne and her Mom, Dorothy, on the campus of Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO, in April 2014, on their way to Hilltop B & B in Glasgow |
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