In 1889, our bed and breakfast in Irvington, VA was opened as a schoolhouse. The Chesapeake Male and Female Academy opened its doors for classes and welcomed a student body of 450 over nineteen years – 1889-1908. Co-education was very rare for those days, so the school featured two front doors— one for boys and one for girls— and practiced very strict educational practices.
A day school for most, the grounds offered dormitories since steamboat and horse and buggy were an expensive and time-consuming means of transportation for students who lived far away.
By 1898, the school touted that its graduates were being accepted by “the highest colleges in the land.” Although no college entrance exams were required of its graduates, many students went on to become physicians, attorneys, and professors. Among all of The Chesapeake Male and Female Academy’s graduates, four were of special note: One became a Rhodes Scholar, another was named President of Hollins College (now University), a third was elected Attorney General for the State of Virginia, and Edwin Leland James went on to become the Managing Editor of the New York Times and interview many notable figures. Notably he was the first to interview Charles Lindbergh when he landed in Paris.
The school closed in 1908.
Not much is known about this building between its closing and the 1940s when it became a rooming house under the name, “King Carter Inn”. The Inn went through another transformation in 1995-1996 when it became Hope and Glory Inn.
Hope and Glory Inn has been owned and operated by Peggy and Dudley Patteson for 17 years. Under their leadership, this boutique hotel has been described as “America’s most acclaimed” with glowing reviews by Travel+Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times and many more.
Peggy spent 16 years at The Tides Inn serving as Director of Guest Services and a member of its Executive Committee before she and her husband purchased The Hope and Glory Inn.
Dudley was a banker and investment banker having managed corporate finance groups at banks and securities firms in Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, D.C. More recently, he held senior positions with two community banks.
Make your reservation at one of the finest hotels in America.
Life throws us curve balls and we have dodged a few over the last two years. We have discovered that some of the changes we have made have been overwhelmingly been well received by our guests. These changes ended up being so brilliant, we have decided to keep and continue all of them.
The first was to move our fine dining experience to our hotel’s majestic and grand 1300 square foot lobby and call it The Colonnade.
The second was to deliver breakfast to our guest accommodations. Absolutely every guest is delighted to have “room service” and our picnic breakfast box is a culinary treat and stylishly presented.
The third is we sold back to the developers the real estate associated with our vineyard of 10 years and repositioned our vineyard business and its brand to the front of the Hope and Glory where we have created a micro-vineyard and oyster bar. This new upscale venue is clearly going to be the most memorable oyster and wine experience – ever!
To book your stay at Hope & Glory Inn, plan your trip online or call us at 804-438-6053.
