Meet the Innkeepers
The Stevick Family
Owners Katy & Michael Stevick discovered Fayetteville when the Army assigned Michael to Fort Bragg in 2013 and they quickly fell in love with America's hometown. Always enamored with the charm of the downtown historic district, the Stevicks were excited by the opportunity to create a luxurious place to stay worthy of the downtown experience.
At the start of 2020 they purchased the historic MacPherson House and embarked on an intensive renovation. They had a great deal of unexpected help from their young daughter (whose daycare unexpectedly closed) and challenges ranging from a global pandemic to a combat deployment, but with the extraordinary help of family and friends the MacPherson House open its doors to guests for the first time in October 2020.
2020 Renovation
The Stevick Family
You'll see through the renovation photos that bringing the house back to life truly was a family affair, as Katy's family visited from Texas frequently to lend a hand, paint endless rooms and chase a sweet, vivacious toddler. Great care was taken to preserve as many historic details as possible, while still bringing the home into the modern era. For instance, the original hardwood siding was meticulously scraped and re-painted and the double hung windows were re-glazed. Katy's mother refinished the 1926 clawfoot tub and Michael learned custom woodworking skills to re-create original details like dentil moulding around the front porch and custom framing throughout the home. Michael was deployed during the final months of renovation and staging of the B&B so the Stevicks' friends and family all pitched in to help open the Inn and bring their vision to life.
1991 Relocation
The Hester Family
In 1991, the MacPherson House entered the care of Bill and Dawn Hester who undertook the extraordinary task of moving the house from its original location on Hollywood Farm (modern McPherson Church Road) to Hay Street. They clearly had a heart for historic preservation - it's to their credit that the buildings housing the Rainbow Room, the Cameo Art House Theater and Rude Awakening Cafe downtown are still standing today.
The Hesters utilized the original 1920 blueprints on display in the downstairs hallway to re-assemble the house and restore the layout to the original plans, even removing the 1960's addition of a mother-in-law suite to create the charming detached cottage behind the house. They dreamt of opening an Inn someday, and while their innovative designs facilitated modern conveniences such as en-suite bathrooms in every room, they enjoyed the house as a private residence until the Stevicks purchased the home in 2020.
Grandson of S.H. MacPherson, Samuel MacPherson Spilman, wife Karen and their daughter Rosemary were some of our first guests at the B&B and graciously shared their family history.
In May 2021 we had the absolute delight of hosting Frances MacPherson for her birthday! From left to right: Dawn, son Matthew and Bill Hester, Frances MacPherson with her daughters Kathy and Susan, and Michael, Katy and daughter Audrey Stevick.
Granddaughter of S.H. MacPherson, Mary Mac grew up in the home and visited with her husband Tim Poole.
1920 History
Learning about the history of Fayetteville (and the MacPherson house in particular) has been a fascinating experience and the Stevicks were delighted to reconnect with the extended MacPherson family. The family photos and stories shared below are our honor to share with their permission.
In 1920, S.H. "Jack" MacPherson built a new farmhouse for himself and his new bride Mary. The MacPherson family were amongst the first Scottish settlers in the area, and at the time the house was built their family farm was one of the largest producers of grain in the state of North Carolina. The row of Holly trees lining the road to the house led to the name "Hollywood Farm." Jack and Mary (or "Granddaddy and Grandmunnie" as they were known to their grandchildren) had four daughters who were raised in the house, including Frances MacPherson who we've had the great pleasure of getting to know.
The MacPherson Family
