 ick and Carol Francis have worked diligently to
develop the Savannah House since they first purchased it from the Markwell family in April
of 1996. Rick recently retired from the military, and he and his wife Carol had wanted to
open a bed and breakfast for years. While developing the Savannah House, they put their
home in Kingman up for sale, and were surprised to sell it long before their new residence
was finished!"We had our walls sheet rocked but
that was about it," Carol explained. "But I didn't want to pay rent
anywhere," she laughed. She and Rick have their living quarters on the north side of
Savannah House. A door from their kitchen leads into the public dining room where the bed
and breakfast guests sip their morning coffee and enjoy the atmosphere.
Purchasing antiques at auctions and discovering some
treasures by word of mouth, they have slowly gathered their furnishings. Carol's cousin
told her of a church in Anthony, Kansas, that was going to be torn down. Rick and Carol
bid on removing the old woodwork, won the bid, and have incorporated the pieces into the
Savannah House.
One of the first remodeling jobs completed was to
reconstruct an interior wall that had previously been removed, as the above floor was
sagging without the support of the wall beneath.
Additionally, Rick added part of the tin ceiling from the
old First National Bank of Kingman to the Savannah House, and surrounded it with wallpaper
that has the appearance of old tin.
On the southwest corner of the building is the
"multi-media" room, complete with large TV and comfy furniture. It has been
named the "Bear's Den." The name for the room was given to them by the late
Marvin Cox, who suggested that they name their business "The Bear's Den," after
one of the earlier owners of the building with the last name of "Bear." |
