Walker's Inn

Walker's Inn is a historic lodging property in rural Cherokee County, North Carolina, near Andrews, at the junction of present-day State Routes 1505 and 1393. Although it is treated here as a hospitality brand, its significance derives primarily from the surviving historic building and its long association with travel, local commerce, and community life rather than from a documented chain or corporate organization. The property began to take shape around 1840, after Squire William Walker and his wife, Margaret Scott Walker, acquired the land. Construction was carried out by Thomas Tatham and his son, Thomas C. Tatham. The two-story, five-bay house was built in stages, producing a mixed structural character: the three bays on the right are log construction, while the two bays on the left are framed construction. Portions of the log walls remain visible on the front elevation, while much of the building is covered with board-and-batten siding. Its irregularly positioned windows and combination of log and frame work reflect the building's incremental development. For much of the nineteenth century, Walker's Inn served travelers using the principal route between Franklin and Murphy. Its role as a stagecoach stop made it an important point of overnight accommodation and local exchange in a period when mountain travel was slow and difficult. The property also included a general store and the first post office serving the Andrews area, both operated by members of the Walker family. This combination of inn, retail outlet, and postal facility gave the site a broader community function than lodging alone. The inn's historical associations include visits by landscape designer and writer Frederick Law Olmsted during his travels in the region in the late nineteenth century, as well as repeated stays by Cherokee chief Junaluska. These associations contribute to the property's local and regional historical importance, although the available reference material does not document a continuous modern hospitality operation or a large commercial organization behind the name. Walker's Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In the early 1980s, Margaret Walker Freel purchased and restored the property, helping preserve one of Cherokee County's oldest surviving structures. The inn later closed in the early 2020s. Jessica and Phil Rickett reopened it in fall 2024 as a bed-and-breakfast. By 2025, the property also hosted private and public events, including weddings, concerts, and graduations. Its present positioning is therefore centered on historic accommodation, heritage tourism, and event use. Walker's Inn is best understood as a place-based hospitality identity tied to a preserved building, a documented stagecoach-era role, and the cultural landscape of western North Carolina. No evidence in the supplied references indicates that it operates as a multi-location hotel company, has publicly reported financial results, or maintains a separate consumer-product portfolio.

Walker's Inn is a historic two-story frame-and-log building in Cherokee County, North Carolina. Its construction began around 1840 after Squire William Walker and Margaret Scott Walker obtained the property. Thomas Tatham and his son, Thomas C. Tatham, built the house in stages. The resulting structure has five bays: three on the right are log construction and two on the left are framed construction. The front retains partially exposed logs, while much of the exterior is finished with board-and-batten siding. The building became known as an inn because it accommodated travelers along the nineteenth-century route connecting Franklin and Murphy. Before modern roads and motor transport, this route was a major line of movement through the region, and the inn functioned as a stagecoach stop. The property also served local residents through a general store and the first post office associated with the Andrews area, both operated by the Walker family. Its role therefore combined lodging, retail trade, postal service, and informal community exchange. Historical visitors associated with the property include Frederick Law Olmsted, who stayed there while traveling in the area in the late nineteenth century, and Cherokee chief Junaluska, who reportedly stayed at the site several times. The building is among the oldest surviving structures in Cherokee County and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Margaret Walker Freel bought and restored the property in the early 1980s. The inn eventually closed in the early 2020s, but Jessica and Phil Rickett reopened it as a bed-and-breakfast in fall 2024. In 2025, the property was also being used for events such as weddings, concerts, and graduations. The modern identity of Walker's Inn consequently combines historic preservation with small-scale lodging and venue operations.

• 2025

  Expanded event use

  [1]Walker's Innen.wikipedia.org

  The property was described as hosting weddings, concerts, graduations, and other events in addition to lodging.

• 2024

  Reopened as a bed-and-breakfast

  [1]Walker's Innen.wikipedia.org

  After closing in the early 2020s, the property reopened under Jessica and Phil Rickett in fall 2024 as a bed-and-breakfast.

• 1980

  Purchase and restoration

  [1]Walker's Innen.wikipedia.org

  Margaret Walker Freel purchased the property in the early 1980s and undertook restoration work.

• 1975

  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

  [1]Walker's Innen.wikipedia.org

  Walker's Inn received recognition as a historically significant surviving structure in Cherokee County, North Carolina.

• 1840

  Construction begins

  [1]Walker's Innen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the house began after Squire William Walker and Margaret Scott Walker acquired the land. The building was completed in stages by Thomas Tatham and Thomas C. Tatham.

• Nineteenth-century stagecoach service

  [1]Walker's Innen.wikipedia.org

  The property operated as an inn and stagecoach stop on the route between Franklin and Murphy. It also included a Walker-operated general store and the first post office serving the Andrews area.

A locally rooted heritage-lodging and event venue built around a preserved nineteenth-century stagecoach inn.

• Hospitality · 2024

  Historic bed-and-breakfast lodging

  The reopened Walker's Inn provides bed-and-breakfast accommodation in a preserved historic building associated with nineteenth-century stagecoach travel. The available reference does not specify the number of rooms, rates, amenities, or booking arrangements.

• Events and hospitality · 2025

  Event venue

  By 2025, Walker's Inn was also used for events including weddings, concerts, and graduations. The historic structure and rural location form the main distinctive features of the venue offering.

• 2024

  Reopening as a bed-and-breakfastStrategy

  Background

  The historic inn had closed in the early 2020s after a long period as a locally significant lodging property.

  Action taken

  Jessica and Phil Rickett reopened the property in fall 2024 with a bed-and-breakfast model.

  Aftermath

  The property returned to active hospitality use and subsequently hosted events such as weddings, concerts, and graduations.

  Source

1. 1Walker's Innen.wikipedia.org