The Captain Lord Mansion was built during the War of 1812 as an elegant private residence, by wealthy shipbuilder Nathaniel Lord. Commerce along the New England coast had been disrupted by a British blockade and Nathaniel Lord put his idle shipwrights to work building him the most impressive house in the area. Nathaniel chose famous architect Thomas Eaton to design his house and it rivals the finest Federal Period homes found in places like Salem, Ma. And Newburyport, Ma., two other towns famous for their remaining Federal mansions. The Captain Lord Mansion is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been operated as a Bed & Breakfast Inn for 25-plus years.

Host Background

Bev Davis and husband Rick Litchfield are refugees from the corporate world of advertising. Bev is a former Advertising Manager for McDonald's Corporation. Before joining the Advertising Department, Bev was a Real Estate Representative for McDonald's and purchased many locations that became top volume producers for the hamburger chain. Rick has a degree in accounting and worked in finance, sales and advertising before becoming an innkeeper. His last job before innkeeping was as an Account Supervisor with a small advertising agency in Schenectady, NY.

Story Behind Finding the Inn

Upon realizing that they wanted to spend their lives together, Bev & Rick spent a year looking for a small business that they could own and operate; they concentrated on finding a small restaurant! Staying in the corporate world meant frequent job changes and moves for the couple. After looking at many "fixer-upper" type restaurants that were for sale because the couples were getting divorced, they found The Captain Lord Mansion. It was basically a boarding house for seniors. However, it had the proper licenses to operate as a "bed & breakfast" inn. On June 15, 1978, Bev and Rick became the proud owners of this facility, and kept 5 of the 7 senior ladies on as residents for another two years as they personally undertook the sizable task of renovating the 20,000 square foot building and making it a first class country inn.