Section B (Thp JHrtj-t-ptt <Kprrtt*h Sections
Wednesday, April 22, 1987 ^ ^ ^ ^ Wednesday, April 22, 1987
The Wilson-Christmas-Davis house, located at
the corner of West Macon and Front streets in War
renton, has been renovated and this week opened
for business as Traub's Inn, a bed and breakfast
and delicatessen and lounge. The proprietor is
Monika Perry, a native of Germany who recently
relocated to Warrenton from Fayetteville.
(Staff Photo by Dianne T. Rod well)
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LEBANON CHEMICAL
Warrantor), N.C.
257-3288
In Downtown Warrenton
Bed And Breakfast Inn
Opens Doors Tuesday
By KAY HORNER
Feature Editor
Ask Monika Perry what made
her undertake the renovation of
Warrenton's WiIson-Chr istmas
Davis house at the corner of
Front and West Macon streets
and she'll tell you without a mo
ment's hesitation, "When some
people don't have a headache,
they make a headache."
She is one of those people, but
for her the headache is now giv
ing way to the joy of being the
proprietor of the newly opened
Traub's Inn, a bed and breakfast
with a delicatessen and lounge.
Sitting in the living room of the
inn, surrounded by treasures
from her native Germany, Ms.
Perry, a petite blonde whose ac
cent still bears traces of her
native tongue, reflected on her
reasons for coming to Warrenton
with her business venture.
"I see big potential for Warren
ton," she said. "I want to see it
stay as unique as it is now with
one exception?I want to see a
business boom here. It can be
done and done right."
I-ast year, Ms. Perry, who
operated her own real estate firm
in Fayetteville where her family
settled after immigrating 25
years ago, decided to relocate
with her son following the death
of her mother.
"There were just too many
reminders there," she said.
Having restored a 200-year-old
home in Fayetteville, Ms. Perry
scouted around for a project that
would enable her to utilize what
that experience had taught.
"I read historical publications
and happened to see that the
Grabill house (the former
Ridgeway Street home of Dr. and
Mrs. J. R. Grabill) was for sale,"
she explained. "In visiting War
renton and inquiring about that
house, I was also shown three
other houses, two of them being
this house and the house next
door, where I'm now living."
She and her son David, a junior
government major at Campbell
University now taking a break
from studies to help with the
opening of the inn, saw the poten
tial in the house most recently
owned by the descendents of John
Boyd Davis.
After all, it had at one time
been a showplace of Warrenton,
with the ballroom that spans the
width of the house on its northern
end being the scene of countless
festive evenings during a bygone
era when it was the home of John
Boyd and Eleanor Davis.
The Greek Revival frame
house was built around 1850 by
Dr. T. E. Wilson across from
courthouse square on the site of
the Old Coffee Exchange. Dr.
Wilson, a native of Greensville
County, Va., came to Warrenton
to practice medicine in 1845 and
lived in the home until his reloca
tion to Salem, Va. in 1869, when
he sold the home to James Y.
Christmas. It was later bought by
Mrs. Henry G. Williams and
passed on to her descendents, the
Davises.
Ms. Perry has decorated the
home eclectically from her per
sonal furnishings and from pieces
acquired at auctions. The Euro
pean influence is felt throughout
the home and many of the pieces
were brought to this country by
Ms. Perry, whose family settled
here 25 years ago.
Among the most unusual pieces
is a bed headboard lined with fox
fur, a gift from Ms. Perry's
mother.
It has found its place in one of
the four bedrooms that Ms. Perry
now has available as part of the
bed and breakfast arrangement.
"I have no idea where mother
got it," she laughed, "but I put it
up here and have decided to call
this the playroom!"
There are shared bath facilities
for every two bedrooms, and a
fifth bedroom is now being
renovated.
The rooms rent for $48 a night,
including a continental breakfast
of hard rolls, butter, jelly and
coffee.
The dining room has been
refurbished for use by inn
customers, but the general public
can feast on a variety of
delicatessen sandwiches (in
cluding German sausage weiners
and potato salad), German
pastries and beer and wine in the
former ballroom, which now
seats 30.
Hours for the delicatessen and
lounge are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
Tuesday through Saturday.
Bookings will also be taken for
private parties.
When asked if that included
catering, Ms. Perry haltingly
responded in the affirmative,
adding "if there's not too much
involved."
Ms. Perry and David are
operating the deli themselves,
from preparation of food to
waiting of tables.
"Do you think that's too
much?" Ms. Perry asked, with
an uneasy laugh. "I don't really
think so. Not at first."
Ms. Perry has already had
good response from the com
munity to her effort in bringing a
new business to the area.
"The fact that people here have
been so friendly and helpful is the
only reason I haven't packed my
bags and gone back to Fayette
villei," she said. "If people will
give us a chance, and I think they
will, they'll see things change in
the right direction."
On the recent homes tour spon
sored by the Warren County
Historical Association, around
300 people visited Traub's Inn.
"I was so pleased with the
response of those who saw the
house," Ms. Perry said.
Having the inn on the tour also
gave Ms. Perry an opportunity to
answer the question that
everyone who knows about
Traub's Inn has been asking:
Where did the name come from?
"I named the inn in memory of
my parents," she said.
Her father first came to this
country in 19,'18 and then returned
to Germany where he married,
later bringing his family to this
country.
"I think often of my mother
and her adventurous mind and
her courage," Ms. Perry noted.
"If she were with me now, we
would have been opened for
business weeks ago and she
would have this house filled with
people stopping by to visit and
have coffee. That's just the way
she was."
Although a newcomer, Ms.
Perry is already making her
niche in Warrenton and has been
named to the Board of Directors
of the Warrenton Merchants
Association.
"It's an exciting time to be
here," she concluded "there's so
much to do."
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Warrentonians, who observed
with sadness the deterioration of
the house in recent years,
watched with renewed interest
last fall as workmen began
repairs.
"There was so much to do,"
Ms. Perry commented, "and as
is the case with older houses,
there were a lot of surprises! The
biggest was the plumbing, which
was in terrible condition."
On the plus side, the plumbing
included a marble shower stall,
which unlike some other fixtures,
Ms. Perry had no intention of
replacing.
Although Ms. Perry has been
able to preserve the light fixtures
and the dining room draperies
that came with the house, visitors
familiar with the home during the
Davis years will And that it has
taken on a new look.