photo by Marc Ryon copyright
1997 |
The house, a Georgian neo-Classical, was built in
1896 by Elmer and Charity Rusk Craig who moved to Asheville
from Wisconsin in an effort to revive Mr. Craig’s
failing health. Mrs. Craig was at one time the National
President of the Women’s Relief Corps, a charitable
organization. In 1913, the Toms family purchased the
house, thus the name Craig-Toms House. This is one
of the few larger homes in the Historic District that
has always been owned by single families.
The house has golden oak ornate columns as you enter
which lead you to the Inglenook set with antique church
benches and a warm, glowing fire in the cooler months.
The sitting parlor to the right offers a relaxing place
to read some old books or some new magazines or catch
up on the latest news of the day. The formal parlor
on the left has a beautiful bay window which overlooks
the verandah and gardens. |
In
Look Homeward Angel, a fictional account of Asheville
written by Thomas Wolfe, the character named Tommy French
was based
on a contemporary of Wolfe named Charles French Toms, who
lived in the house and was the son of the second owners.
Charles’ daughter and granddaughter have stayed at
the inn and have shared interesting anecdotes and photographs
of the family and the house.