Pikeville Historic Mansion Bed and Breakfast

The Pikeville Historic Mansion Bed and Breakfast was built by Augusta York and her husband J.M. York in 1892 at 179 College Street in Pikeville, Kentucky. The home was originally resided in by the Yorks' daughter, Kate, and her husband, before then passing through a series of owners. In the early 2000s the residence was acquired by Romaine Keith, who, while retaining as much of its original design as possible, remodeled the home and transformed it into a bed and breakfast. The business features antique decor and architecture in addition to each of the rooms available to rent being named after an influential figure in the history of Pikeville.

The Pikeville Historical Mansion was built in 1892 along College Street in Pikeville, Kentucky, shortly after the increase in home construction and residents which occurred along the street following the construction of the Pikeville College Academy in 1890. According to local historians, the residence was designed and funded by Augusta Dils York, daughter of abolitionist and businessman Col. John Dils and wife of Pike County judge J.M. York, following their marriage in 1875. The home was designed to resemble York House, the home she resided in with her husband and children and had been gifted by her parents, explaining the similarities in the design of the two, and was Augusta's initial attempt at constructing her dream house prior to her efforts to construct the Augusta Dils York Mansion, also known as the Creekmore Mansion, in 1918. The residence was gifted to Augusta's daughter, Kate, who resided there with her own family, before later being passed to a series of different owners. 

In the early 2000s, the residence was acquired by a business local to Pike County, Romaine Keith, who had previously purchased the Hampton Inn located next to the property. Shortly afterward, the 2,022 sq.ft. home was remodeled and made into a bed and breakfast, with care taken to preserve as much of the original architecture as possible. The residence was renamed the Historic Pikeville Mansion, and features antique decor and furniture. In addition, each of the seven bedrooms available to rent at the bed and breakfast is named after and designed in accordance to a key historical figure who helped shape Pikeville. The individual rooms are also connected in that they act as both a timeline and a family tree. 

The first of the rooms is the Blennerhassett Room, named after Irish Prince Blennerhassett, a wealthy European explorer and businessman who settled on the border of Ohio and West Virginia and who proved to be extremely inspiring to his neighbor, John Dils, Sr., and his own business endeavors. Also featured is the Ransom room, named after a tutor hired Blennerhassett to aid in educating his children, as well as the Dils Room, named after Col. John Dils Jr., who was taught by Ransom following Blennerhassett's death. The remaining four rooms include the Ratliff Room, named for Dils Jr.'s wife, Anne, as well as the York Suite, named for Anne and John's daughter, Augusta, the builder of the residence, the Campbell Room, named for Augusta's daughter, Kate, and her husband, and, finally, the Johnson Room, named for Kate's sister Gypsy and her own husband. 

The Pikeville Historic Mansion Bed and Breakfast is open at all hours and accepts reservations all year long. More information about the business as well as the history associated with the residence and each of its rooms can be found on the business's website, linked below. 

Home. Pikeville Historic Mansion. Accessed July 04, 2019. http://www.pikevillehistoricmansion.com/index.htm.