Herrold on Hill, bed and breakfast extrodinaire!

 Note:  I just learned that this beautiful bed and breakfast has been sold to new owners.  I wish them luck and remember my stay with the Jachinski’s fondly!

This was my original post.  While the ownership has changed, the history remains true! Recently my mom, Lori Disque and I received a hosted stay in Wabash, Indiana at Herrold on Hill. When I first heard the name of the wonderful bed and breakfast inn, Herrold on Hill, I tried to imagine just how it got its name, but I never did. Well, innkeepers Alan and Sandy Jachinski explained, “Our son-in-law, Michael Herrold and his family lived here and they had a bed and breakfast. Mike and his mom had the house until 1999 when they sold it to a doctor.  It was going to be his forever house.”

When the doctor learned that he was outside of the hospital jurisdiction sadly, he had to sell.  Then when the property came up for sale four or five years ago, Sandy said, “Our son-in-law Michael and our daughter Allison wanted us to open it and run it as a bed and breakfast.”

“I had been the President of a small size aerospace company and had retired,” Alan said, so the timing was right.

So, the name Herrold on Hill is a two-phase name, in part Herrold for Michael Herrold and Hill because the house is on Hill Street and is built on a hill!

Sandy said, “We brought our art and antiques, and a few pieces of furniture came with the house.”

The Jachinskis have a wonderful combination with their cool mix of antiques and art, then the house tops it off with the lovely Neo-Jacobean style.  The mansion was finished in 1885.  Allison is just one of the Jachinski’s children; they have six girls and six grandchildren.  The two traveled a lot in their prior business lives and the idea of settling down and staying in the lovely community of Wabash, Indiana and running the bed and breakfast appealed to this interesting couple.

The town of Wabash has several interesting things to draw visitors, from the Honeywell Center where big names perform to the interesting James Ford house, home of a Civil War surgeon.  Railroad and canals put the town on the map, but it is most famous as the first city in the world to be electrically lit!  You can even see the lamp that lit up the courthouse in 1880 inside the county courthouse today.

With the Honeywell Center in town, at times Herrold on Hill has had its share of the famous stay, but Alan and Sandy won’t tell any tales.  “We don’t tell, we keep it all very private and try to stay very polite,” Sandy said.

However when you visit, be prepared to be treated like a queen or king.  “We pamper people. We want you to come. This is not a typical bed and breakfast with bears and lace. We make people feel comfortable.  We just wait on you, you are on vacation.”

It is easy to feel pampered from the get go.  We arrived a little later than anticipated after forgetting about the difference between Central and Eastern Time and got to the house around 6:30.  We ordered a pizza after settling into our lovely room and ate on the beautiful veranda and visited with the Jachinskis.  “This would be a great place for a wedding,” Mom said.

The art, antiques and architecture just work together to offer a great place to kick back and relax and that is exactly what we did.  My favorite aspect of the house is the huge round window in front. Sandy said that the Neo-Jacobean architecture is, “off symmetry and very private”.  We noticed this sitting on the veranda; others could be nearby, but not in view.

We pored over before and after pictures of the houses restoration and learned some of the history.  At one time, one of the largest grapevines that had a huge 54” diameter almost covered the house.  The builder and first owner of the house was the third mayor of the town, Clarkson Weesner .  Later, Weesner, traded houses with William O. Talbert who owned Belgian Horses.  “He moved here and his horses were stabled down the street,” Sandy added.

Breakfast was the crowning glory of our stay.  Sandy started our meal with a rocket power orange and cinnamon from Saigon. 

Then Alan gave us our main course.  He learned to cook early on. “I grew up in a house full of women.  Mom was a meat buyer and she taught me about meat.  I grew up in Chicago on the southwest side, then in eighth grade moved to the suburbs.”

Alan made us some amazing protein waffles with strawberries and blueberries and double smoked ham Sandy topped off our meal with a fresh tomato and basil salad because, “We have vegetables at every meal.”

The food was amazing, the house was lovely, but most of all, Alan and Sandy made our stay just right.  The town of Wabash has several things to see and do, come and tour, or just come and enjoy. The house is large enough for a family get together and small enough for a romantic get-away, or like for us, a girls night out!  The webpage says it all, “Enjoy the opulence and warmth of our spacious antique and art filled Victorian Inn. Choose from 6 Luxury King and Queen Bedrooms, four and one half Baths. Enjoy the Formal Dining Room, Two Guest Parlors, Open oak stairways, Hardwood and marble floors, Elegant chandeliers and stained glass, unique round windows, 8 fireplaces, screened in porch and large restored Carriage House.”

Log onto http://www.herroldonhill.com/ for more information.