Colvin Farm Bed and Breakfast is once again a welcome respite for guests
By Shirley Gleicher

Finding the place was easy. Take an 8-mile trip down Ashford Road where brave cedars fight for space between the stately loblollies and the Carolina hardwoods. Then take a quick right on Halsellville Road.

The country is lovely, the road dips and climbs and then on the left is the grand old house. The porch has a long-gone Southern look. Only birds are heard talking and singing to one another. A quick right and the driveway leads to the back, where flower beds present themselves in manicured glory. The sun gently streams on the walkway. Samantha the cat naps in the soft warmth, not even disturbed by the sharp bark of Moe, a small but mighty Yorkshire Terrier who guards his family and home.

No one remains a stranger for long when they meet Susan and George Mower. They opened the door and we made our way through a house that is breath-taking not only in the beauty of room colors but by the unevenness of the floors that bespeak the grand history of the families who have trod its surface.

We sat in great oversized chairs while the story of the house and of how they came upon it unfolded. It is a known fact that no one who undertakes the remodeling of an old home is ever without heartbreak, absolute structural terrors and side-splitting laughter at how something was stuck, broken or fallen apart.

When Susan opened the door I began to hear about all of the history and wonderful stories of the Colvin-Fant-Durham farm. The house was built in 1835, a tribute to the care Southern farmers gave to making their homes fit the climate. Doors were many, windows positioned to catch Southern breezes and rooms arranged in a way that made the work of heating easier. 

The last owner to live in the house was Eva Fant Durham. It had come down to her through marriages, wills, great stories of love and weddings. Eva, at her death in 1961, left the house and farm to her eight children to be divided equally. For reasons unknown, none of those children ever lived there. The last living heir was Mildred Durham Stevenson, and when she died in the 1970s, her husband, Marion, began making an heroic effort to try and save the house, gardens and out buildings.

The house was listed on the Internet under the heading of “Historic Homes for Sale.” When a home falls under that heading, it must be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

George and Susan “surfed.” They found homes listed in Orangeburg, Edgefield, Salem, North Carolina and Chester. They traveled, they stopped in every bed and breakfast they could find and they talked to their owners. They heard stories that made them sure they wanted to invest in a long demand of venture and there were others who had a litany of all the problems and terrors that could and probably would befall them.

They continued to travel and finally attended a seminar teaching all the do’s and do-nots of bed and breakfast living. Even listening to the nay sayers didn’t stop them. They continued their search and the last stop was Chester.

The realtor took them to the Colvin-Fant-Durham house. They looked and they thought about all the backbreaking work that the house needed and they went home. They methodically discussed every house they had seen, listed all the pros and cons and talked, worried, thought and came back to Chester. There was something about that house that tugged at their hearts.

The day they visited the house for the second time there was a soft, gentle breeze, birds sang happily and they sat in the old swing that was falling apart. They listened and talked about what it could be. Susan the gardener began to see where brush and undergrowth could be cleared away and beautiful, long-forgotten plants could live and have enough space to breathe again. She dreamed and saw porches filled with sunlight.

George the carpenter, who had built boats, cabinets and fences and more as a hobby, knew that he could put that knowledge to good use. They agreed that the house could be brought back to its original grandeur. They continued to swing and imagine where the vegetable garden would be raised in beds that let tomatoes, squash and corn grow away from the strangling “wire grass” and the need for chemicals. They could clearly see the old cabin that was falling down in a different way. They saw it repaired, rebuilt and painted a rich color to compliment the surroundings. Those dreams were so real that an offer was made.

Finally the sale was completed. The Mowers now owned the grand old house and 12 acres that were home to treasured plants that had long lived without care. Susan and George were on their way to a new life, making new friends and solving architectural problems. The days went by and soon things began to change. Paint bought new life to rooms that had gone untouched for years, new windows let the beauty of the grounds enter every corner and light filtered through drapes and curtains. The house was beginning to enjoy its new face. All the flower gardens were delighted in the soft tilled soil that restored hardened clay. Water reached their roots and things flourished.

The history of this farm is rich. At one time, when it was a working, prosperous plantation, it boasted a store, a cotton gin, a blacksmith’s forge, a large mule barn, a curing house and everything that was needed to make the 305-acre tract workable. It was located between the Little and Sandy rivers. There is not a spot on this beautiful place that does not have a story to tell, if only they could be heard.

The Mowers said good-bye to close friends and preceded the moving van to Chester County. They had not yet been introduced to the kindness and generosity of Chester people. Soon they would learn.

The van stood in the driveway and not long after the unpacking began, the door opened and Lavinia McDonald was there carrying a coconut custard pie, assuring Susan that the flavor would restore her energy, and it did.

To describe the back of the house and the garden that it faces is almost impossible. Everything comes into play — the green of the grass and the deeper green of trees and the old fashioned bushes that send out spikes of gentle lavender blooms. Butterflies and hummingbirds consider it their personal domain. Period wicker furniture and the muted color of rugs offer a feeling of peace and calm. If the visitor has a romantic bend, they could well tell wonderful stories of the cool water that the old well faithfully produced for generations of Colvin, Fant and Durham families. The stillness is only interrupted by the call of a cardinal or a tree frog foretelling rain.

The little cottage that once stood in absolute ruin has been restored. It houses a traditional bedroom accompanied by a modern and comfortable bath and shower room. A little kitchen permits the guest to have coffee or a warm piece of danish for breakfast. It is surrounded by a rolling lawn and if you are lucky, the big golden retriever named Jessie might honor the visitor with his presence.

If staying in the big house is more acceptable to you, there are beautiful rooms, each with its own bath. They are filled with elegant antiques and beautiful art. Not only will the lawn and surrounding trees, swings and a comfortable hammock will lull you to sleep in the afternoon, but at night you will enjoy the gift of seeing stars and hearing the whippoorwills and bobwhites calling to their wives and girlfriends.

It is a romantic place of absolute peace and beauty, but if laughter is what you crave, ask George to tell you the story about removing a window on the second floor and finally getting the bed through, only to be defeated by unyielding box springs. It is a perfect comedy of two tall men hanging from a 60-foot ladder, each one assuring the other that all would be well. No one fell, but in turn, the bed was set up without the necessary box springs. Finally the problem was solved, but not by the two tall met who were hanging from the ladder.

This wonderful restoration is complete and the long-dreamed-of bed and breakfast sits quietly on the narrow, little-traveled road. Breakfast, of course, is served by Susan, who enjoys an enviable reputation as culinary “mavin” (Yiddish word for a person who has special knowledge or experience). If you are lucky when you visit, she will introduce you to a glass of tea that is absolutely fabulous. You drink and then begin to try and identify the flavors. You guess and guess and you are wrong, but she will certainly tell you all about it. 

The hours I spent talking to the Mowers were joys. I loved the house, the restful atmosphere and all the many features that have been incorporated to make the visitor comfortable. Along with comfort, the person who respects history will glory in the fact that a wonderful old house that has lived for 167 years is now able to continue on for many more. It was saved and restored, and that is a gift not only for the guests who will enjoy the beauty but for the people who understand the historical legacy of Chester County.

The Colvin Farm Bed and Breakfast is located on Halsellville Road in Chester and can be reached at 803-581-9916 or colvinfarm@chestertel.com