Fourth in a Series: The History of Springhaven Inn: 1911 to 1934

Written by Dr. Dan Morrill and Catherine Perry

This is the fourth in a series of articles covering the long, rich history of the Springhaven Inn, built in 1888 in Blowing Rock, NC. 

[Springhaven Inn is for sale. A group of town residents, with the Blowing Rock Historical Society, BRAHM, and Preserve Mecklenburg, Inc. (PMI), is working to save the structure. There are only a few properties left in the downtown area that are as old as Springhaven Inn. We are actively looking for a buyer or buyers for the property willing to keep the outside structure of the historic inn. Otherwise, it is in jeopardy of being torn down. If the property is demolished, this physical evidence of the history at the very core of Blowing Rock will be gone forever. We think it is worthy of being saved. If you would like to learn more about how you can be involved in the effort to save this property, contact Tommy Lee at either 704-737-5609 or tommy@appiantextiles.com.]

In this article, we pick up where we left last week and cover the cottage’s history from 1911 to 1934.

The Vardell Cottage – 1911

When the Vardells owned the property, it became known as the “Vardell Cottage.” Linda Rumple Vardell decided to sell the cottage in 1911. Since then, over the many years that have transpired, several people have owned the property. To fully understand the history of the cottage, we must look at the context of what impacted Blowing Rock’s tourism as the twentieth century unfolded and the town continued to boom. 

1911 to 1934 

The Vardells sold the property to Lula Springs and her mother in 1911.  Ms. Springs was the unmarried daughter of John March Springs, a Charlotte merchant who had died in 1866.  Lula and her widowed mother did not own it long.  Lula sold the property to her sister, Lila Springs Ebeltoft, in 1915.  Lila, whose husband was a storeowner in Shelby, N.C., owned the property until 1934. 

Rumple/Vardell Cottage Becomes an Inn

Most middle-class families owned automobiles by the early 1920s. This factor and the construction of better highways provided easier access to Blowing Rock from the Piedmont and elsewhere. The Blue Ridge Parkway, which opened in the 1930s, greatly contributed to the growth of Blowing Rock as the numbers of people grew traveling to see the beauty of the mountains. Folks continued to flock to Blowing Rock each summer to escape the heat and humidity of the low country.  This influx of visitors produced an upsurge in demand for places where people could stay overnight or longer.   

The robust tourism industry of Blowing Rock prompted growing numbers of owners of single-family residences to convert their homes into income-producing assets.   The owners of the Vardell compound were among them. Turning the Rumple Cottage into a place for paying guests, however understandable, set into motion a series of events that destroyed and compromised the character-defining features of the property. 

A watershed event in the history of the Rumple Cottage occurred in 1928. That’s the year the summer cottage and grounds became the site for an inn.  The Watauga Democrat of May 31, 1928, reported that the “Bark Inn, the latest addition to Blowing Rock’s summer lodging houses” was nearing completion. The repurposed summer cottage retained its chestnut bark siding, hence the name “Bark Inn.” 

The Inn was not aggressively marketed during Lila Springs Ebeltoft’s ownership.  No advertisements for the Bark Inn appeared in newspapers between 1928 and 1934.   There is reason to believe that, during her ownership, Lila changed the name of the facility to “Springhaven Inn,” probably in honor of her mother’s family, the Springs.

In next week’s article, we will see who owned it starting in 1934 and the themes of music and literature were woven into the fabric of Springhaven Inn.