From Elizabeth Arneson,
Your Guide to Bed & Breakfasts.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Silver Thatch Inn
3001 Hollymead Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22911
Innkeepers Jim and Terri Petrovits

Could you tell us a little about the history of your bed and breakfast?

The original building was constructed on 300 acres in 1780 by Hessian mercenaries captured during the Battle of Saratoga in New York at the end of the Revolutionary War. Over time, the property was a melon farm and tobacco plantation.

In 1812, a second building was added which served as a boys' school from 1812 to 1860.

In 1937, the property was bought by the dean of the University of Virginia, and working with the architect responsible for the renovation and restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, he built his family home, where he lived from 1937 to 1964.

In 1983, the property was purchased by young idealist couple, a cottage and restaurant were added, and the property became the Silver Thatch Inn.

When did you become interested in historic properties?

We've always been interested in history in general. This particular inn grabbed us with its beauty as well as its history.

When did you first visit this specific property?

August 1997.

What made you interested in purchasing this inn? (Was it an inn when you purchased it?)

Yes, it was an existing inn. Location was first (in Charlottesville, Virginia), the structure and history, and the fact we wouldn't be buried in 10 feet of snow! Actually, we're from California, and Virginia has mountains and ocean nearby.

Was a lot of renovation work required?

No. When the young couple bought it in 1983, that's when the actual renovations were done. And there was also the initial renovation when Dean Runk bought the property in the late 1930s. We do have photos of the property prior to Dean Runk's renovation, and he was indeed a man of vision! We've spent 3 years replacing various things (linens, mattresses), and getting our feet wet. We have a 65-seat restaurant, too.

What's your favorite room in your bed and breakfast?

The seven rooms are named after the early Virginia-born presidents. My favorite is probably James Madison. It's in the main house, is just a comfortable room and also has the best bathroom.

What makes a stay in your inn unique?

Hmmm. Besides the ghosts? (So we're told, but we don't advertise that.) We're a romantic, intimate inn and we promote that. We have a full-service fine dining restaurant on site with a spectacular wine list. Walking 20 feet to your room from dinner does have its appeal. The food is outstanding.

Guests have breakfast by themselves as opposed to a communal table. We don't hover or brag about how long we've been up sweating over a hot stove just for them. We're comforting, we're good listeners, and we're good at reading our guests' needs for privacy and quiet.

Most of our guests are from D.C. and come to simply unwind and reconnect with their partners. We have no TVs or telephones in the rooms, which we think promotes that reconnecting. We rarely say "no" to a guest's request.

What advice would you give to people considering the purchase of a historic bed and breakfast?

Be sure you have a good maintenance person! Actually, that's true, but it would also be, be sure the historic venue is what you want. You cannot (or should not) "modernize" a historic inn to the extent that the feel of its history is lost or significantly reduced. Add the creature comforts (Colonials didn't have central heat and air), but keep the overall feel of the inn.

Please tell us a little about your area. What would you consider to be "must-see" attractions?

Wow! Tons. Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, University of Virginia, James Madison's home, James Monroe's home, Blue Ridge Mountains, many good wineries, many local artisans, river rafting, live theater, garden tours, festivals, horse country, horse races. To name a few.

What is the strangest thing that's ever happened to you as an innkeeper?

We've been innkeepers only three years, so I'm sure I'm still waiting for "the" strangest thing. However, as I said, we have ghosts. While they seem to appear only in one room -- the Jefferson Room, which is in the 1812 section -- according to a map drawn by a woman who played there as a girl, there is a family cemetery located right below one of our dining rooms.

We have had a guest who was dining in what we call the Hollymead Room tell us she felt a very strong presence, but that the feeling was very friendly and happy (this is good, as I'm usually at the inn by 6:30 a.m. and it's really dark in the winter!).

Another guest from Florida, a rational-appearing guy, was with us for 4 days and stayed in the Jefferson Room with his wife. One morning he said he was awake about 3 a.m. and saw a vague vision of a person (he couldn't identify male/female) move from one end of the room to the other. He was totally unafraid as he watched this apparition and went back to sleep shortly after.