Fate’s a funny thing. Who knew a

chance reading of a northern Kentucky

newspaper two years ago would lead two

bed and breakfast innkeepers on a jour-

ney back to Cincinnati’s early years?

Housetrends’ readers will remember

our first visit to Bob and Nancy

Swartzels’ Burlington’s Willis Graves Bed

& Breakfast Inn in November 2003.

Their home, an 1830s Federal-style inn,

is listed on the National Register of His-

toric Homes. Located just 12 minutes

from the Greater Cincinnati/Northern

Kentucky International Airport, and 20

minutes from downtown Cincinnati,

their three rooms opened to the public

in August 1995. Business has been

steady, increasing to the point repeat

customers are common, with most

weekends booked long in advance.

Fate steps inThings were going well for Nancy and

Bob. So destiny decided to throw a

curve ball at the couple, stretching their

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B B&

By Peg Ashbrock

Photos by Robin Victor Goetz/RVGP, Inc.

owners take on a new challenge

A dollar doesn’t go very far in this economy, but Northern Kentucky innkeepers Bob

and Nancy Swartzel managed to stretch it far enough to purchase a historic log cabin.

For a dollar. Really! It’s a great story that just needed fate to make it all happen.

Opposite: A paved stone walkway curves from the parking area to the cabin, and back to the main house. Lush flowerbeds and a series of new trees line the walkway to the mid-19th

century log cabin.

Above: An old-fashioned clothesline stretches outside the log cabin, further sending you back to a simpler time.

continued >

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This page and opposite:Although the wholecabin is air-conditionedand heated, a gas fireplace adds warmth and ambiance to thefirst-floor bedroom suite.

continued >

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Opposite: Freshly baked cookies and bottled water help stave off hunger pains until early morning when guests can sample one of Nancy’s delicious gourmet breakfasts.

Above: The Kohler Co. Laminar ceiling mount bath filler is a fun, yet modern perk found in the first-floor bathroom.

continued >

imagination and challenging their

dreams one more time. Nancy was read-

ing a local newspaper featuring an arti-

cle about an upcoming expansion at the

nearby Greater Cincinnati/Northern

Kentucky International Airport. The

article detailed some homes that needed

to be moved to accommodate that

expansion. One of the homes was a

mid-19th century log cabin smack in the

middle of the proposed new runway.

That night she shared the article with

Bob, who joked they always wanted a

log cabin to add to their available

rooms. Nancy made an inquiry the

next morning and found out she was

the only caller, and the only one inter-

ested in the historic property. A few

months later fate dealt them the win-

ning hand and they were the proud

owners of an 1850s log cabin, for that

one dollar. But it had to be moved with-

in two months. That decision spurred

them into a two-year episode of hard

work that included dismantling the

cabin, moving it, restoration and some

luxurious upgrades to make it habitable

and suitable for their B&B.

“It wasn’t an overnight process,”

explains Nancy. “The airport had to hire

an archeologist to document the proper-

ty. On our side, before we got permis-

sion to do this we had to have a major

site plan done to see if we could accom-

modate the cabin.”

During that documentation phase,

they learned a bit more about the cabin.

Built in the 1850s, the log cabin was

originally owned by William Rouse. “He

was a simple farmer, but this cabin was

pretty sophisticated for its time,”

explains Nancy. “When they built this

cabin it had more than one room, and

the wood they used was tongue-in-

groove. The logs themselves were never

painted.

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“Another thing we needed was an

architectural plan,” she adds. “We decid-

ed to put an addition off the back and

then make it two floors. Then Bob tin-

kered with the plan to customize it to

the way we really wanted to allow us to

make this two units.” They agreed to sit

the cabin behind the main house and off

to the side to best showcase it.

The Swartzels were notified in Janu-

ary that the cabin had to be moved by

March. The waiting had really whetted

their appetites to acquire that cabin. “At

that point we were really ready to save

it,” shares Nancy. “We hired a local cabin

restorer, Terry Sawyer, to dismantle it.

It was a fascinating process. He had to

number each beam and piece as it was

taken down. He marked each with its

own metal tab and number.

“I filmed the whole dismantling,”

Nancy laughs. “It took three flatbed

trucks and cranes. I followed them film-

ing the whole way even as they emptied

the flatbed full of the pieces onto our

grounds near the parking lot. A lot of

other folks in the area showed up to

watch it too.”

It took a year to get it ready for occu-

pancy. The Swartzels hired Madison, IN,

cabin restorer Ed Bladin. Working on a

project like this needed a close partner-

ship with the owners. “As soon as we

saw examples of Ed’s work, we knew he

was the one to work on this project with

us,” says Nancy. “Once we decided on

the details it took a year from start to

finish.” It was obviously worth the time

to get the details just right.

The cabin with two optionsA paved stone walkway curves from the

parking area to the cabin, and back to

the main house. Lush flowerbeds and a

series of new trees line the walkway, the

combined efforts of Nancy and nearby

continued >

Above: An Italian porcelainpedestal sink, which took a lot of teamwork to install, and multicolored slate-like tiles were chosen for the second-floor retreat bathroom.

Left: The domed color-therapytub and a separate steamshower in the second-floorretreat bathroom mimic thesame selections found in thefirst-floor bathroom, but offertheir own special touch withthe slate-like tile.

Opposite: Upstairs is a charming second-floor retreatthat includes a hand-carved,four-poster bed.

resourcesDesigners: Nancy and Bob Swartzel

Contractor: Ed Bladen (Madison, IN)

Electrician: Ruehl Electric (Hebron, KY)

Heating and Air: Poston Brothers (Burlington, KY)

Plumbing contractor: Robert Dahlenberg (Hebron, KY)

Paintings in bedrooms: Gary Byrge (Covington, KY)

Lighting: Lt. William Moses, William and Mary Shop; Circa Lighting (Savannah, GA)

Windows: Marvin, Marsh Building Products

Wallcoverings: Random width planks with beaded edge

Medicine cabinets: Robern

Whirlpool: Aquatic air driven, Ferguson Bath and Kitchen Gallery

Shower doors: Basco, Ferguson Bath and Kitchen Gallery

Steam showers: Steamist, Ferguson Bath and Kitchen Gallery

Interior doors: Poplar random with planks with beaded edges, handmade by Ed Bladen

Door hinges: Antique strap hinges

Floral arrangements: Robben Florist & Greenhouses

FIRST-FLOOR SUITE BEDROOM

Flooring: Ash random width planks secured with cut nails

Mantle clock: Silas Hoadley, circa 1825 upside down movement

Mantle: Grain painted, circa 1810

Window and chair fabrics: Swatches

Clothes cupboard: Cherry with grain painted top/grain painted wood used to be log cabin baseboards

FIRST-FLOOR SUITE BATHROOM

Flooring: Logos Azul and Logos Gold importedlimestone, Kemper Design Center

Towel bars: Kohler Co. Purist in French gold finish

Cabinetry: Benner Woodworking

Countertops: Gold Garnet granite,Kemper Design Center

Shower and tub deck and backsplash: Walker Zanger,

Kemper Design Center

Sink and shower faucets: Kohler Co.Purist, Ferguson Bath and Kitchen Gallery

Whirlpool faucet: Kohler Co. Laminar ceiling mount bath filler, Ferguson Bath and Kitchen Gallery

LOWER-LEVEL CABIN SUITE

Flooring: Kemper Design Center

Furnishings: sofa, Southwood; antique cherry stepback cupboard

Accessories: Antique clock, C.F.L.C. Ives, circa 1830

SECOND-FLOOR RETREAT BEDROOM

Flooring: Ash random width planks secured with cut nails

Furnishings: four-poster bed, Benner Woodworking; sofa, Southwood

SECOND-FLOOR RETREAT BATHROOM

Flooring, shower walls, tub deckand backsplash: Slate Solutions

(multicolored), Kemper Design Center

Bathroom sink: Italian porcelain, Ferguson Bath and Kitchen Gallery

Bathroom faucets: Newport Brass in gunmetal finish, Ferguson Bath and Kitchen Gallery

R E S O U R C E S

Reminiscent Herb Farm. Soft music, piped all through the grounds, treats

your ears to relaxing music as you approach the cabin.

The first thing you notice about the two-story cabin is the wide front

porch with its wooden railings topped with old hand-cut tobacco stakes,

recovered from the B&B’s former tobacco fields. An old-fashioned clothes-

line stretches outside further sending you back to a simpler time.

Look closely at the walls—you might see several of the original silver

tags the cabin restorer attached to each log as he dismantled the cabin at

its original site. The walls are solid wood; there isn’t one piece of drywall

in the whole building. The new ash floors are finished with hand-forged

nails. “Ed made all the interior doors from poplar,” explains Nancy. “The

two front doors are made out of black walnut. All the hinges are antique

strapped hinges.”

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Above: The room is big enoughto have small meetings or justhang out and watch a movie on the television.

Left: The lower-level livingroom can serve as a commonroom for both suites if neces-sary and is even equipped witha small kitchen to heat up amidnight snack.

continued >

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The cabin features all new windowsto keep it energy efficient and is airconditioned and heated. “Some ofour guests think the cabin will be rus-tic,” says Nancy. “We went the otherway for total luxury.”

Entering on the left is the log cabinsuite, containing a first-floor bed-room complete with a gas fireplaceand a luxurious bath. The suite alsohas a private deck off the back andlower-level living room that’s bigenough to have small meetings. Itcan serve as a common room for bothsuites if necessary and is evenequipped with a small kitchen. Anonsite laundry facility on the lowerlevel is tucked out of sight so thecleaning crew doesn’t have to carryeverything to the main house.

The large front porch offers a great place for guests to sit and enjoy the tranquil country setting.

continued >

Entering the cabin on the right is

the cabin retreat. You head up the

stairs to this charming second-

floor retreat that includes a hand-

carved, four-poster bed made by

local artisan Mike Benner. The

scene from the second-floor win-

dows gives you a bird’s-eye view of

the surrounding countryside

including a narrow old creek that

winds through the property.

The bathrooms are outstanding.

Each has a combination of granite and stone floors with the latest in fea-

tures including a double whirlpool tub featuring a waterfall faucet in the

first-floor bathroom, domed color therapy tubs and separate steam

showers. It’s a startling contrast with the original log walls but it works

in this cabin.

There was no interior decorator on this site, as Nancy and Bob picked

out the accessories themselves, having collected antiques for three

years. The cabin offers an eclectic décor

that reflects the time period mixed with

creature comforts such as large plush

robes for the guests. The artwork hang-

ing in the rooms features paintings by

local self-taught artist Gary Byrge.

Freshly baked cookies and bottled water

help stave off hunger pains until early

morning when guests can sample one of

Nancy’s delicious gourmet breakfasts in

the main house.

Open for businessThe cabin opened to guests in October

2004. “Having the log cabin definitely

has increased our business; it’s unique,”

says Nancy. “Guests write in our book

that their first impression is that it’s

well done. It’s not sloppy or slapped

together. Either you love this eclectic look of all the furniture styles mixed together or

you hate it. It works well in here. It’s even been considered as a site for a possible

movie set.”

Nancy and Bob have a sense of satisfaction when they look out the back windows

of their main house and see this charming restored cabin sitting up on the hillside.

“It’s a sense of accomplishment,” Nancy summarizes. “It’s our business but we still

preserved a piece of history. I’m lucky to be able to do this.”

And yes, these two busy people have more plans for the future. Bob’s crowded garage

will soon be turned into a small antique shop perfect for their guests or travelers head-

ed next door to the Burlington Antique Show.

Burlington’s Willis Graves Bed & Breakfast Inn is located at 5825 N. Jefferson St.,

Burlington, KY 41005-9772. Log cabin guest rates are: for the suite, Sunday through

Thursday $135 a night and Friday through Saturday $195; for the retreat, Sunday

through Thursday $125 a night and Friday through Saturday $165. For more informa-

tion, call 859-689-5096 or 888-226-5096, visit the website at www.burligrave.com or e-

mail to inn@burligrave.com.

Editor’s Note: Peg Ashbrock is a Cincinnati author and writer. Her latest book Focus on Africa,Issues in Religion, will be released Spring 2006.

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Left: The wide front porch haswooden railings topped with old hand-cut tobacco stakes.

Above: Cabin restorer Ed Bladinof Madison, IN, was chosen bythe Swartzels to help restorethe cabin.