Day in the Life

Day INN the Life

Last year, I was honored to help my fellow Berkshire Hathaway Agent, James Roberts sell his historic property located in Durham, the Royalsborough Inn at the Bagley Bed & Breakfast. Jim and his wife Marianne had owned the property since 2005, and it was more than just a home and place of their livelihood, this historical landmark was their life’s work. The 1772 Inn has a long history of welcoming weary travelers. Since officially becoming an Inn in 1982, there have been 5 sets of innkeepers calling it their home and their passion with the most recent being the Roberts Family. While owning the Inn, Jim had returned farming to the property, operating as a fiber farm and an Inn. They raised sheep, alpacas, and goats for fiber production and added a store for retailing yarns and fiber products.

Both Jim and Marianne were beginning a new chapter in their lives, in another state. It was sad to be selling the Inn after so many years of sweat and hard work with all the renovations and to say goodbye to their favorite regular guests that made the Inn an annual visit.

It was listed in the fall of 2020. I loved the marketing photos of the exterior of the Inn. The brilliant foliage of the maple tree in the front yard nicely contrasted with the yellow paint of the Inn’s exterior and the deep blue sky of the day the photos were shot. The property was special and as a history major with a concentration in early American history, I was thrilled to showcase the story of this 250 year old Durham legacy.

While the property was on the market, I received several calls from local townspeople worried about the status of the Inn when they saw my For Sale sign. Would the Inn continue? Were they losing an integral part of the town’s history? The property was unique in that along with the original 1772 Inn, a second newer building built in 1998 occupies the grounds, a reproduction 2 story building referred to as the Carriage House. It offers 3 large bedroom ensuites and a 500 square foot common space used for a meeting room, function hall, and wedding space, but no kitchen. For prospective buyers that wanted to use the property as a single family residence and not as a business, they would have had to deal with an additional 2304 square foot of living space. Not necessarily a good thing in this case to get two homes for the price of one. We were looking for just the right buyer for this property. The McLellans were those buyers. Life brings changes and saw the Roberts family relocate out of state as the McLellans were relocating to Maine.

It is interesting to note that the first time the McLellans actually saw the Inn in person was on the day of their real estate closing. Thanks to COVID and travel restrictions, all showings were done virtually through facetime with their real estate agent. They arrived at their new home in March 2021 to find someone placing taps on all their Maple trees. It was a local that had been tapping the trees for years and didn’t realize the Inn was in new hands. Taking it all in stride and with a smile, they gave their permission along with receiving a promise for a bottle of fresh made maple syrup.

The Inn changed ownership in 2021. Dave and Mary McLellan are the new stewards of this special historic property. With the new owners came a change in name to the Bliss Farm Inn, paying homage to the Bliss family that had owned the property for over 176 years of the Inn’s 250 year history. The Inn now operates as a Maine farm bed and breakfast, full of historic charm and modern luxuries.

I don’t usually get to follow the new owners of a property once it has been sold; however; six months after the closing, I was pleased to be invited by the new innkeepers to the official ribbon cutting ceremony and open house and attended with fellow BHHS agent Joe Delano who had previously visited the property when it was the Royalsborough Inn. The open house was filled with members of the community, the local historical society, the Freeport Chamber, neighbors, friends and family. All were there to support an important part of Durham’s history, a 250 year old legacy. In thanking all those that attended, Innkeeper Mary McLellan posted after the event, “It was so great to see the inn full to the brim with happiness and warmth. My heart feels the same way this morning.”

It has now been a year since the Inn was sold. Chickens have replaced the goats and alpacas that called the property home. The Royalsborough Inn sign now shows the Bliss Farm Inn. The Carriage house is now the personal residence of the innkeepers and the entire 1772 main house is now open to the public. On a recent drive by the Inn, I could see the unmistakable bright blue sap buckets nailed to the Maple trees, meaning only one thing …. The annual taping of the trees. It has been a year of changes but some things stay the same.

The McLellan family has done a wonderful job. Here's to happy endings! To see the latest photos and offerings, check out the Maine Adventures Post showcasing the Bliss Farm Inn.