Larry
(a Buncombe County/Asheville native of six
generations) and Nancy (a native of Kansas
and a Registered Nurse) are your hosts and
owners, along with Mr. Monty and Miss Maggie (Australian Silky Terriers), of this cedar shingled, turn of the
century, two-story North Carolina bed and breakfast.
Nancy
was born in Kansas, went to grade school in
Lima, Peru; high school in Wellesley, Massachusetts;
University of Kansas; and Beth Israel School
of Nursing in New York City. She is a certified
Critical Care Registered Nurse, having left
the Cardiac Cath Lab at High Point Regional
Hospital to join with Larry in their new owner/innkeeper
endeavor at the
AppleWood Manor, an historic Asheville inn
.
Larry’s
ancestry in North Carolina dates back to his
Great…Great Grandfather, Captain Benjamin
Merrill, a North Carolina Regulator who was
executed in Hillsborough (now Hillsboro),
North Carolina under the auspices of the British
Province Governor Tryon on June 19, 1771 for
anarchy against the Troy government. The death
decree asserted:
"That
the prisoner should be carried to the place
from whence he came; that he should be drawn
from thence to the place of execution and
hanged by the neck; that he should be cut
down while yet alive; that his bowels should
be taken out and burned before his face; that
his head should be cut off, and that his body
should be divided into four quarters, which
were to be placed at the King's disposal,
and may the Lord have mercy on your soul."
(Col. Rec. of N. C., Vol. 8, p. 643.)
Please
be assured that EXECUTIONS ARE NOT ALLOWED
AT THE MANOR!!!
The
AppleWood Manor Inn Bed & Breakfast is one of Asheville’s longest continuously
operating bed & breakfast inns and the house
will be eligible for application to the National
Historic Register in 2012 when it has reached
its centennial age.
In
1908, Army Captain John Adams Perry (a great
nephew of brothers Commodore Oliver Hazard
Perry, the Naval hero who defeated the British
Navy in the War of 1812 and Commodore Matthew
Galbraith Perry who opened trade with Japan
in 1853) purchased the acre and half on Cumberland
Circle. Located on the northern edge of what is now Historic
Montford District and adjacent to downtown
Asheville, the cleared knoll overlooked the
rolling agricultural lands stretching north
along the old Buncombe Turnpike and offered
a wonderful view and site for Perry’s
new home. Captain Perry hired the versatile
Asheville architect William Henry Lord to
design the residence. Those original architectural house plans with changes and notations in pencil are 100 years old and remain with the home and the current owners of AppleWood Manor Inn, the Merrills.
The
house was completed in 1912 and served as
Captain Perry’s home until his death
in 1939. In the parlor hang two pictures
(circa 1912), one showing the newly completed
house and the second is a panoramic picture
from the northern second floor balcony looking
over the vast farmland and mountains from
the north to the east, even displaying a sign
advertising Cumberland Circle lots for sale.
Captain Perry’s deed restriction stated that
his new home must cost at least $2,500 to
build, he spent $8,000.
 |
The
New England Style Colonial Revival two-story
structure is frame construction with a stone
masonry foundation, cedar shake siding featuring
a pediment entrance supported on Doric columns
and flanking porches. The main level of the
Manor consists of a large entry hall from front
to back, parlor, living room, formal dining room,
butler’s pantry, half bath, kitchen
and main, servant and basement stairs. Large
porches are located off of the dining room
and living room. There are fireplaces in the
parlor, living room and dining room. The second
level consists of a large hallway, built-in storage, and stairs to the third level, and four of our 6 guestrooms (Granny Smith, Northern Spy, York Imperial and MacIntosh) each with its private bathroom. There are fireplaces
and balconies for all rooms except the Northern
Spy on the second level. The third level consists of a large one
room suite (the recently renovated romantic
Winesap
Suite) with luxury bathroom and sitting area. The house
is approximately 6,000 square feet.
The
Cortland
Cottage was constructed as a garage around
1950. This newly renovated one-room romantic
cottage is approximately 500 square feet and is
located 30 feet from the main house with its own parking space and across a gravel (historically original) driveway.
More
than adequate parking for all registered guests’
cars (bicycles and motorcycles) is located
onsite with off street parking in front of the manor, well off the quiet street, shielded by large pines.
Walk
the grounds, try out the porch swings, our tree swing, or Larry's personally designed arbor with North Carolina Jasmine vines. Relax at one of a number of umbrella covered wrought iron tables on the patio and in the backyard or put up your tired feet on Amish-made Adirondack furniture on each private porch. Enjoy and imagine the bygone days when these magnificent surrounding mansions and cottages were constructed.
READ OUR REVIEWS AT 
Photography by Jon Leidel Photography 
