Area bed, breakfast expands

WELLSBURG -- A farm-based bed and breakfast near state Route 27 has been extended to include a historic house in downtown Wellsburg.

Chatman Neely and Harry Sanford, owners of the Barn With Inn at Highland Springs Farm, have renovated the 177-year-old Sarah Miller House at 900 Main St.

It is among buildings in the Wellsburg Historic District that are on the National Register of Historic Places.

It not only provides lodging for any additional guests not accommodated on the farm, but also has offered a new attraction for residents and visitors through the series of chef's tables dinners held there each month.

Begun in August, the dinners have followed themes, from Cajun to Thanksgiving fare, and have been attended by an average of 20 people each and even dinners in the winter months selling out.

They have become so popular the two plan to add two more each month in the summer.

The new addition has received accolades from members of the Wellsburg Chamber of Commerce who recently voted it the chamber's business of the year.

Preparing the meals is chef Brian Magliochette, who specializes in rustic Italian dishes, seafood and unusual salad combinations, but has served a variety of dishes.

He said he hopes at Christmas to serve up a Seven Fishes dinner, an Italian holiday tradition that offers a smorgasbord of seafood.

A former sous chef, Magliochette began cooking at age 16 while observing his grandmother in her kitchen.

He worked previously at the Monterey Bay Fish Grotto and the Cheesecake Factory in Pittsburgh and helped open restaurants in about 30 states. But he and his wife welcomed the opportunity to return to the Tri-State Area and now live in Greentree, Pa.

"People have really enjoyed the dinners he's put together," said Neely.

For dessert, Neely often prepares a dish that has been popular at the bed and breakfast -- sugar cream pie, served with fruit and whipped cream.

He and Sanford often use eggs and other produce from their farms and take pride in using other materials produced locally or in West Virginia, and they have held farm-to-table dinners benefiting the Brooke County Farmers' Market.

Sanford said many also enjoy the meals' casual setting. Everyone is seated at one table and encouraged to chat with each other, he noted.

"The cell phones don't come out. People really seem to enjoy sitting down together, eating and talking," he said.

Those interested in attending one of the dinners may call (304) 737-0647 or (304) 692-0141 or e-mail barnwithinn@gmail.com.

It's probably not new for a group of strangers to break bread together at the Sarah Miller House.

Sanford said many of the two-story home's rooms had been divided and adjoining bathrooms and kitchenettes added, suggesting it once served as a boardinghouse.

The pair doesn't know much about Miller, who was the last person to live there. She was apparently single but an active member of the local Presbyterian church before she died in 1930, said Sanford.

Some of the dividing walls were removed to restore the three larger bedrooms, and the two have filled the once vacant house with assorted vintage furniture and 13 matching chandeliers they obtained from the former King of the Hill Steakhouse in Wheeling.

Sanford said the two recruited his nephew, Will Haizlett of Buffalo Creek Woodworks, to work on the renovations.

He said layers of carpet, laminate and linoleum were removed to reveal the home's original pine and oak floors.

The pair also have converted a one-story home, once owned by Hazel Finley, behind the house and an apartment adjacent to it to serve their guests. Unlike the Sarah Miller House, they went for a more modern look for the apartment.

The two have plans to landscape the yard between the Miller House and the Finley House and add tables where guests may gather or eat.

Kept occupied with the bed and breakfast on their farm, they aren't able to offer breakfast to guests in town but would make an exception for a large group staying there.

Neely said since the Barn With Inn opened in 2015, it has drawn many visitors, including travelers from Scotland, Germany and Australia. Some were in the area to visit children attending Bethany College, others were enroute to Amish Country and other destinations.

The Barn With Inn offers its own unique taste of country. In addition to rooms in the Colonial style farmhouse, the barn's loft and storage room have been converted into enclosed sleeping quarters with adjoining bathrooms,with a radiant heating and cooling system that keeps them comfortable throughout the year.

The 35-acre farm includes free range chickens and other animals, saltwater wading pool with a small waterfall and a mile long walking trail.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)