History of the Davis Bourne Inn
The Davis Bourne Inn, locally known as "The Bourne House", is an excellent example of Queen Anne architecture, the style of the late Victorian era. The house sits on a hill over looking the historic district of the town of Independence Virginia, and our lush grounds feature our Garden Dining Patio and is surrounded by a canopy of old growth hardwood trees and flower gardens; all of which invites your further exploration. The Davis Bourne Inn now stands as an example of a by gone era of prosperity, artisans, and appreciation of classic design.
The known history of the Inn starts when Confederate Colonel Alexander M. Davis began construction of the home in 1865. Colonel Davis, an attorney and Congressman, had three sons, two of whom died young and are buried on the property along with their parents. The third son, Garnett was also an attorney and was responsible for building the mill and electric powerhouse at Peach Bottom Falls, which supplied Independence's first electricity. Garnett inherited the house upon his father's passing and began embellishing the decor of the house with his wife, Mattie. When Mattie died having their fourth child, Garnett moved away with the other children and the home was rented to a local physician until J Simmerman Bourne purchased the property in the 1930's.
J. Simmerman Bourne had a large family consisting of nine children and passed away shortly after buying the home. Two of his daughters, Pauline Bourne and Mary Bourne Bryan, remained in the home until the 1970's. Pauline, like her father, was a local attorney, and Mary was the Home Economics teacher at the local high school. The sisters affectionately named the house "The Journey's End".
In 1975, Grayson County purchased the property at auction. In 1980, part of the property was used for the addition of the new Grayson County Courthouse. The home during this period of time was used for office and storage space, and as a meeting spot for senior citizens. As activities at the home became less frequent, it fell into a state of disrepair. In 1996 the house was sold to Mary Lucy and Eddie Copenhaver, who started its renovation. Their dream of restoring the home to its original splendor was realized one year later when they opened The Davis Bourne Inn Bed and Breakfast. Mary Lucy operated the Inn until June of 2001 when the Inn was sold to Edd and Elsie Cole.
The Cole's vision for the future of the Inn was to create a social center to showcase Independence and the surrounding communities. The expansion included a commercial kitchen and restaurant as well as the covered patio. The Davis-Bourne Inn opened October 9th, 2001. The restaurant was aptly named "Journey's End", as a tribute to the Bourne Family. The garden patio area was completed and hosted its first wedding June 1st, 2002. The Cole's sold the inn in January of 2006.
The current owners, Tony and Taphne Volinskus, operate the inn and restaurant along with Tony's brother, Stephen, who is chef and on-premises innkeeper.
Thank you for your interest in our Inn, and we hope that you will enjoy our mountain paradise as much as we do.
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