Inside Look: Roan Mountain Bed and Breakfast
The novelty that bolsters the Roan Mountain Bed and Breakfast’s atmosphere is family history.
Owners Ann Morgan-Campbell and her brother Robert Morgan have spent the last 13 years creating a serene place for guests to take off their boots.
“We want people to come and relax,” said Campbell, who is a retired art teacher. “We just want them to find peace here.”
Campbell’s ancestors set it all in motion in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s when the original Morgan homestead was built.
Eventually the 121-acre property fell into the hands of Campbell’s parents — John and Edith Morgan.
When all of the Morgan family grew up and moved on, Ann’s grandmother would have been left alone and too far from the road at the original homestead.
“Everyone called her Maw Morgan,” Ann said. “They didn’t want her to be so isolated. So, my dad and his brothers had this cabin built. It was a lot smaller then than it is now.”
Additions were built on to the cabin in the 70’s when Ann’s father moved back home.
“The original structure here was built in 1941,” Campbell said. “They took the logs off the land here.”
Although much has changed at the homestead, trinkets and glimpses into the Morgan family’s past are found around every corner of the house.
There are a total of four rooms at the bed and breakfast. The only bedroom original to the cabin is the Iris room.
“This is our hiker, writer, artist and photographer room,” Campbell said. “We put this big desk in here so guests can sprawl out their stuff.”
Campbell said that regional author Steven James has frequently requested this room to do his writing.
The Governors room is a bit more spacious with a television and walk-in closets. The last room on the lower level is called the Rose room.
“We named it after our mother because she loved roses and had a rose garden out back,” Campbell said.
The Rose room is also handicap accessible. Another highlight of the Rose room is a framed wall hanging with a blue dress that belonged to Edith Morgan inside.
“This was in a drawer for about 50 years,” Campbell said. “I pulled it out last year. It was my mother’s wedding dress.”
The last room to choose from is the Cloudland room.
“This is the room hikers really love,” Campbell said.
It’s on the upper level and has its own balcony overlooking the property.
“It’s so peaceful out here,” Campbell said.
All the room prices vary and Appalachian Trail through hikers receive a discount, which is $65 for a single hiker and $85 for a pair.
“We love our hikers,” Campbell said. “It’s nice just to get to talk to them and be around them. They are always just so happy to be here.”
While guests are enjoying a meal in either the dinning room or back patio, Ann said deer and foxes often come to join them. The patio offers a great view of their property on which the family planted a chestnut and apple orchard.
“This property goes a mile up through the woods,” Morgan said. “My dad was an agriculture teacher and conservationist. He was very concerned about the chestnut blight.”
Campbell said she hopes to create a footpath for guests who would enjoy taking a walk through the property or to see the original Morgan homestead. An added activity bonus is a frisbee golf course accessible from the property.
“We do keep discs here for guests to use,” Campbell said.
One other service Campbell offers is free shuttles for through hikers. Campbell will take hikers to town for dinner and will also pickup and return guest hikers to the Highway 19E trailhead. They are also happy to hold through hikers’ gear and bring it to them at another point on the trail — also called in the through hiking community as slackpacking.
In order to be even more accommodating to through hikers, Campbell has plans to open a short-term resupply station in the near future.
With the popularity of Roan Mountain always on the rise, Campbell said she is proud to be one of the few lodgings in the area.
“We have people who want to come stay two or three days, hike Roan Mountain and go to Grandfather Mountain,” Campbell said.
Owning the bed and breakfast enriches Campbell and her husband Steve’s lives. They have a wealth of hiker stories to share with guests around the breakfast table.
“We do our best to cater to everyone,” Campbell said. “We’ve found that we always end up getting more from people than we give.”
When they run out of hiker stories, they have even more stories from the Morgan family history to keep guests entertained.
Through generations of hard work, the Morgan family has ensured that the memory of their ancestors live on through the bed and breakfast.
With their warm smiles and friendly vibes, they will surely elicit more stories and memories for years to come.
To make a reservation and find out about pricing, call (423) 772-3207. The Roan Mountain Bed and Breakfast can also be found on Facebook and online at roanmtbb.com.
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Comments 1
Ann and Robert, very nice article. I know your family – I am Ernie Boyd’s niece. I lived across the field from Ernie and Eva’s home in Hampton. I taught with your Mother at Unaka High School, I was the librarian there 1969 – 72. I hope to come to see your place in Roan Mountain some day. I bring as many friends as I can to take them to the top of the Roan. My father, Jim Bryant, loved to go to the Roan. I saw this article mentioned in Robert’s Facebook page.