Dr. Dodson House Bed and Breakfast
Innkeepers Janet Buck and Gary Nylander
St. Michaels, Maryland
Tell us a little about the history of your B&B.
Our Federal-style red brick home was built in 1799 by Samuel Harrison, who was the bachelor son in a shipbuilding family. He also owned a general store. It was used as a tavern and St. Michael's first post office was also located in the building.
The original house consisted of two and a half stories, with one room on each floor and a side hall and stair, plus a one-story "ell" wing, believed to have housed the kitchen. The house survived the War of 1812. In 1872, the house was nearly doubled in size, when a Victorian-style parlor and two-story porch were added, complete with gingerbread trim typical of the era. Most of the original floors, doors, "wavy" glass, woodwork and fireplace mantels have survived.
After the Civil War, Dr. Robert Dodson purchased the home and set up his medical office in what is now the dining room. It became known as "Dr. Dodson's house," which is why we used the name when we purchased it in 1993 to open a bed and breakfast.
When did you first visit this specific property?
The fateful trip was made in December 1992 when we came to attend the "Christmas in St. Michaels" event. Boy, has that trip cost us a lot of money!
What made you interested in purchasing this inn?
The building was vacant and suffering from deferred maintenance, having served the last owners well, first as their home for about 8 to 10 years and then as a rental property for about the same length of time. It was love at first sight for me -- the house had a real "presence," with its two chimneys punctuating the sky.
The deal was all but cemented when I waltzed into the parlor and saw the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows and the old fireplace mantels.
Was much renovation required?
Oh, yes. It's almost painful to recount all of the work we have undertaken on the house!
Here's a brief outline, in rough chronological order:
Remove asbestos from pipes in basement; new electrical service; excavate basement's dirt floor and pour concrete one -- pause for litigation when contractor almost collapsed the house in that project; new supports under first floor; rebuild one chimney and repair fireboxes in three fireplaces, line chimneys and add dampers and chimney tops; new roof; lots of repointing of brick; almost all new plumbing and wiring; install central air conditioning; install fire sprinklers and alarms; add new bathrooms for guest rooms and some reconfiguring of space; add wet bar in dining room for guests' use; lots and lots of scraping and painting; new kitchen.
We've also added an addition for our private quarters and have done extensive landscaping, including a circular brick courtyard, white picket fences and garden gates with arched arbors.
What's your favorite room?
The Victorian-style parlor. It's beautiful with rich raspberry walls, lacy curtains and a needlepoint rug with a black background. When I'm in the room, I feel a connection with the past as I enjoy some of my favorite furnishings, including a Victorian parlor chair in raspberry velvet and an 1880s writing desk.
What makes a stay in your inn unique?
Our guests tell us that it's us -- they enjoy the fact that we share ourselves with them. We have lots of laughter and generous hospitality here. Our favorite time is the nightly hors d'oeuvres hour because we get to sit down and visit with our guests -- they're from all walks of life and are rich entertainment!
We're also told that we offer much more than most establishments -- besides the hors d'oeuvres, we provide complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks, morning room service trays with choices of coffees, teas and juices and the Sunday paper, and great breakfasts that our guests select from our full menu that includes yummy entrees like Eggs Benedict, Banana Pecan Waffles and French Toast.
Please tell us a little about your area.
St. Michaels is ideally situated on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, about 1 hour east of Annapolis. It has a beautiful little gem of a harbor and is the second most-visited port on the Chesapeake Bay.
The main street is lined with historic buildings, now converted to a variety of interesting little shops and a plentiful supply of gourmet restaurants. A "must-see" attraction is the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, featuring a screwpile lighthouse and an awesome collection of regional watercraft and artifacts.
We also encourage our guests to take some kind of boat ride to fully appreciate the beauty of the area from the water. It's reputed that we have more miles of shoreline than any other county in the country.
