Places for tourists and weary travelers to lay their heads for a night or two are few and far between in the Oxford area.
But thanks to Mark and Jan Smith, a new bed and breakfast is poised to open in Addison Township on Friday, Feb. 5.
‘We have always wanted to be innkeepers,? Jan said. ‘I knew what I wanted to do when we bought this house. It’s set up so beautifully to share. It’s historic. It’s big. We love people. We love cooking.?
The Smiths? new venture is called the Maple Cove Bed and Breakfast and it’s located at 969 Maple Cove Dr., just south of Lakeville Rd. and a little west of the unincorporated community of Lakeville.
The entire house is approximately 4,800 square feet, however, the bed and breakfast portion encompasses about 3,000 square feet.
Guests will have their choice of three suites ? the Plantation Suite, the Hemingway Suite and the Casablanca Suite. Together, these suites can accommodate up to six guests.
‘We would like to cater to couples,? said Mark, who was born and raised in Addison, spent most of his life there and is chairman of the township’s fire board.
Each suite features a luxurious bedroom, a relaxing sitting room and a private bathroom. Each has its own unique look and feel.
Guests will also have access to a great room featuring a magnificent stone fireplace, a gaming area with a pool table, a large porch and an inground swimming pool, built in 1959, filled in and later restored by the Smiths.
Mark believes the bed and breakfast’s location is perfect in terms of convenience and scenery.
‘It’s near to Oxford, Rochester and Romeo. We’re 10 miles away from any of those (towns),? he said. ‘Yet, it’s out in the country. It has a country feel. It’s quiet. Addison Township is a beautiful place. The lake is right here.?
The original part of the house was built sometime between 1870 and the 1890s. The former is when the house’s builder, John Butts, a justice of the peace, bought the property. The latter is based on newspapers that were found stuffed in the walls as insulation.
‘We really didn’t narrow it down any further than that,? Mark said.
Butts owned the property until he died in 1923. His daughter sold it the following year.
Today, the house sits on a 14-acre parcel, but the spread originally consisted of 80 acres back when Isabella Tupper purchased the land from the U.S. government in November 1833.
‘I’d love to find out (who she was) because that’s unusual for a woman to have bought property (at that time),? Jan said.
Jan said there used to be a barn on the property and a historian who inspected the wood told them it was constructed before the Civil War.
The Smiths have been told the house was once used as a brothel and speakeasy, but they’ve found no evidence to substantiate that claim.
‘I went to the historical museum in Oxford and there’s really nothing there,? Jan said. ‘They couldn’t tell me anything.?
The property had a number of owners over the years including the Fruehauf family, who held it from November 1936 through the early 1990s.
The Smiths purchased the house in September 1994, but didn’t actually move in until March 1997 because it was in such poor condition.
‘No one had lived here for 10 years before we bought it,? Jan said. ‘Honestly, you could see (through the walls to the) outside in some places .?
Mark likened their experience to the 1986 comedy film ‘The Money Pit,? which contained ‘a whole lot of truths,? in his view.
‘The roof was coming down and the walls were going out,? he said. ‘It took us two-and-a-half years to reconstruct and make it liveable again.?
‘We only reconstructed two-thirds of the house at that point,? Mark continued. ‘We left one-third of it cold and undone for a Phase 2 someday.?
Phase 2 was done in 2012-13. ‘That’s (the part) where Mark and I reside today,? Jan said.
A website is under construction at www.maplecovebandb.com and reservations can be made by calling (248) 969-2929.