Airbnb has taken off in recent years, and it has meant that we are seeing less of the traditional bed and breakfast model. It’s harder to find places where you are greeted by the hosts (who often live on site), given a little background on the home and accommodations, and treated to a gourmet breakfast in the morning before you check out.
I’ve always been a fan of such places. Not only does it break up the monotony of plain hotel chains, but you are treated to a unique experience where you meet new people and experience something unexpected.
We recently stayed at a classic B&B in Indianapolis that was a step back in time. If you find yourself in the Indy area and are looking for a place to lay your head with a hot breakfast in the morning, consider the Mansion on the Mile in Indy’s Historic Lockerbie Square neighborhood. The historic home is within walking distance of Mass Ave. and a number of popular eateries and attractions.
The mansion has an interesting history that takes you from its construction in 1890 through five additional owners. It was originally built as a home for businessman William Tate and his wife, Helen (nee Daily). Helen happened to have been a widow who ran a boarding house/brothel next to one of his factories when they met. Tate was not well liked, and he got into a dispute with an appraiser over the value of a neighboring lot that he wanted to acquire. The conflict escalated until, after a hearing, Tate shot and killed the appraiser outside a courtroom. He was fined for discharging a firearm inside a courthouse, but it was overturned the next year and he never served any time.
Tate ended up acquiring the property that led to the murder. An 1840 home that once stood next door was added on to the back of the mansion, now serving as a kitchen. Tate died four years after the completion of the mansion and his widow lived there until her death in 1900.
The home later served as a boarding house operated by the Catholic Church until Sinclair Oil purchased it and placed a filling station on the corner property. The current owners are Tom and Jeanne Gaunt who purchased the home 27 years ago from another couple who used it as a private residence. The couple turned it into a bed and breakfast eight years ago and filled it with period furnishings.
The long and narrow Neo-Jacobean mansion was built like a castle of solid brick with walls covered in plaster. There’s plenty of detail in the solid wood trim, high ceilings, fireplaces, and stained glass windows in nearly every one of the 14 rooms. On the second floor, guest rooms are numbered from the home’s days as a boarding house.
We woke to the sound of piano being played by Jeanne, a retired special education teacher. We headed downstairs for breakfast in the dining room where we enjoyed our egg souffle, homemade cinnamon rolls, and fruit on Royal Albert Country Rose China produced in Staffordshire, England. It was a charming experience and one we won’t soon forget.
For more information, visit mansiononthemile.com and follow on Facebook.
