To start with, I’m generally not a fan of
bed and breakfast inns. I like the
consistency of some motel/hotel chains and sometimes bed and breakfast
establishments are just not that great.
So…when Laurie requested that I find a
bed and breakfast where we could stay on our recent trip to Nebraska, I was
less than enthusiastic. As I planned our
little 3-day exploratory route, I calculated that I needed to find a place to
stay in the town of Cambridge, in the south central part of the state. I was in for a very pleasant surprise indeed!
(Plus, I had a happy wife too!)
This is the Cambridge Inn and it’s
located almost in the center of the town of Cambridge Nebraska. The Inn is listed in the National Register of
Historic Places. It’s known as the W.H.
Faling House.
The home was built in
1909. As stated in the Nebraska State
Historical Societies’ website, this Neo-Classical style was popular during the
early part of the 20th century.
The house is architecturally significant and it’s representative of a
time when the West was becoming more cultured.
The home retains a high degree of historical integrity…
Our interior photos don’t do justice to
the beauty and style of the Inn. We need
to learn how to cope with exterior light, that’s for sure! This is the parlor at the Cambridge Inn.
William H. Faling was born in Jefferson
County, New York in 1848. He was raised
on a farm and he farmed in his early years and then was involved in retail
ventures in Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska.
Mr. Faling and his wife, Anna arrived in Cambridge in 1880 and opened
“The Regulator”, a fine general merchandise store with an inventory valued at
$8,000.
Anna was appointed lot agent for the B
and M Railroad and William was appointed Land Agent for the Lincoln Land
Company. In 1885, with the required 200
residents, he helped incorporate Cambridge and became its first Mayor. As Mayor and Land Agent, Faling laid out and
platted five additions and subdivisions and sold all the lots. The next year he opened the Faling Home Bank. In 1887 he was named the first President of
Enterprise Building and Loan Association. The couple was obviously very
successful!
This built in sideboard and china cabinet
in the dining room of the Inn is a spectacular piece of woodwork! We had serious trouble trying to photograph
it…and we should have tried again after dark.
The woodwork in the home has been very well
preserved. Oak was used extensively with interior columns and borders repeating
the exterior designs. The superb craftsmanship
is of special note in the parlor/living room fireplace surround, the beautiful main
staircase, and the sideboard above. It appears
to be have made from Italian olivewood.
This is another example of the fine
antique furniture throughout the Inn. It's thought to be a French piece but Laurie thought that the medallions resembled some Scottish decorative furniture that we've seen...
We didn’t capture a decent photo of the
faux painting that is on the walls in several areas of the home. The entry hall and main staircase still bear
the original finishes…a faux design resembling marble. Original Faux designs also appear in the
dining room as well as the front and back hall ceilings.
When we checked in, we were given a tour by Gloria, one of the owners. They are still
uncovering original features and then working to preserve or duplicate them. The most recent discovery is some original Prairie style wallpaper on the second floor. They are
slowly working to uncover as much of this wallpaper as possible. It really is beautiful & quite unusal!
This was our room at the Cambridge
Inn. The Nebraska Room was originally
the Master bedroom. This room has faux hand-painted
birds-eye maple woodwork throughout. Wall
sconces and a rich floral theme create a warm and comfortable setting. The door leads to a nice half bath with a sink
and toilet. The bathroom is conveniently
a two-part unit. (See below)
The current owners of the Cambridge Inn
are Gerald and Gloria Hilton. They’re 4th
generation, life-long residents of the Cambridge area. Gerald spent six years in the U.S. Air Force
as a pilot and returned to the family farm in l957. He continues his interest in flying and has
flown 23 different aircraft in his 40 years of flying. He is very active in Cambridge and the
surrounding area through involvement in various boards and organizations.
Gloria, who gave us our tour, is a dedicated volunteer and promoter. Her
interests include music and the arts. Beginning in 1967, she was focused on documenting local
history. This resulted in the
publication of the "Cambridge Centennial History Book – 1874 to 1974".
This is the other side of our room at the
Cambridge Inn. The 1st closest door after you enter, leads to
a former closet which has been converted to a large shower room. The second door leads to a large walk in closet with drawers & shelves & hooks.
Our room was very clean, well-furnished
and comfortable. We both slept
soundly…with Laurie telling me that it was the best nights sleep she had
during our whole trip!
This ‘rose tree of life’ stained glass
window on the main staircase is the focal point of both the downstairs
reception hall and the upstairs balcony.
Gloria told us that they are still trying to determine just who created
this stained glass masterpiece.
This is a big house with over 2,200
square feet per floor! It was one of the
first homes in the area that had electric wiring and lighting installed. The original lighting fixtures still hang in
the Inn.
Remember…the Cambridge Inn is a bed and
breakfast! You didn’t think that I’d
forget the food part of this experience, did you? Gloria and Gerald’s daughter Andela served
breakfast to the guests. When we came down for breakfast, we
joined 2 other guests, both of whom were business travelers who had stayed at the Inn before. Breakfast began with this nice plate of fresh
fruit and yogurt.
Laurie decide whether she should take a
close up of our breakfast entrée…or just take a photo of breakfast with part of
the dining room and setting in view. The
French toast with warm syrup and ham slice were very nice indeed… All in all, our experience at the
Cambridge Inn was a great experience!
The Inn has 5 well-furnished guest rooms,
3 of which have private baths. For those
who can’t live without it…or business travelers, the Cambridge Inn provides
modem access, cable television and desks to work at. We would highly recommend a stay at this very
pleasant and upscale bed and breakfast!
We’re not alone. Six reviews have
already been posted in Trip Advisor…and all of them rated their experience as
“Excellent”. To check out the reviews,
go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g45475-d594515-Reviews-Cambridge_Bed_and_Breakfast-Cambridge_Nebraska.html.
To take a look at the Cambridge Inn’s
website or to book your stay, go to http://www.cambridge-bb.com/.
Just click on any of the photos to
enlarge them…
Thanks for stopping by to see what we’ve
been up to!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
What a beautiful house – they were made with the understanding that there would be a staff cleaning it. With bed and breakfast in historic homes it gives the opportunity to visit in these lovely antique houses and take a look at how the people of means lived. Like you we don’t usually go to B&B but once in a while it is lovely to stay at a home with bygone luxury, and this one certainly has a lot of charm. Your breakfast looks very tasty too.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a really nice place to be pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We've only stayed at a few B&B's and always had a good experience.
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