Mountain Primrose Bed & Breakfast

This bed & breakfast opened in 2015 and is located in a historic structure that was built in 1910 to serve as a boarding house for coal miners in. Mother and daughter Thelma and Dawn Smith moved from San Diego to Thomas after selecting this property as the ideal location for a bed and breakfast given this location near the Monongahela National Forest and Blackwater Falls. The Inn is named in honor of

This small bed and breakfast is located on the edge of the Monongahela National Forest near Blackwater Falls. In addition to visiting many of the historic mining communities in the area, guests also enjoy opportunities to hike, fish, kayak, and enjoy a variety of other outdoor recreation opportunities. The town of Thomas includes several historic buildings and also offers antique shops and art exhibits.

Co-owner Dawn Smith named the business in honor of her granddaughter Primrose, who is named after the first flower of Spring. The Inn’s website references a German legend of the primrose which tells the story of a girl who came upon a doorway covered in flowers. When she touched the doorway with a primrose, the door opened for her and revealed a path that led to an enchanting fairy castle. The Inn’s website also states another legend about primroses. It states hanging primrose on a door is an invitation for fairies to come into one's home and bestow fairy blessings upon residents and guests.

Each room is color coded a different shade of the primrose flower, and each bed has a patchwork quilt. Dawn Smith makes homemade pastries and breakfast daily for guests. She operates the inn with her mother, who joined her in moving to the area from San Diego. The owners selected Thomas from many other possible communities after discovering this house and moving to West Virginia in 2015 with the goal of opening the bed and breakfast. 

Mountain Primrose Bed & Breakfast. Blackwater Falls Canaan Valley. Accessed April 26, 2019. https://canaanvalley.org/where-to-stay/listings/mountain-primrose-bed-breakfast.

Photos. Mountain Primrose Bed & Breakfast in Thomas West Virginia. 2016, Accessed April 26, 2019. https://www.mountainprimrosebb.com/. Photos in this entry are from the Mountain Primrose Bed & Breakfast website. 

About. Mountain Primrose Bed & Breakfast in Thomas West Virginia. Accessed April 26, 2019. https://www.mountainprimrosebb.com/about.

Dutt, Natalia. People of Thomas: Dawn Smith. New Historic Thomas. November 01, 2017. Accessed April 26, 2019. https://www.newhistoricthomas.com/news/2017/10/20/people-of-thomas-dawn-smith.

Altman, Anna. Make This West Virginia Town Your Home Base for a Great Ski Getaway. Washingtonian. January 15, 2019. Accessed April 26, 2019. https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/01/15/make-this-west-virginia-town-your-home-base-for-a-great-ski-getaway/.