Historic Fairhope, Alabama Lodging
Meet the Innkeepers
About David & Eric
David Worthington and Eric Bigelow have spent their lives in hospitality and service. After first working together in 1981, they quickly discovered a shared passion for exceptional customer care and attention to detail. David’s lifelong appreciation for historic homes and boutique inns, combined with years of experience in restaurants, travel, and the bed-and-breakfast industry, helped shape his vision for hospitality. Eric brings decades of experience in family business operations, customer service, and culinary arts. Together, their combined expertise is reflected in every aspect of the guest experience.
Opening the Inn
David and Eric have been honing their craft for over 30 years, perfecting customer service, food service and how to manage a business. They saved for 15 years, read every book on the subject of B&B operations and attended local and national seminars. In 1996 they moved to Magnolia Springs to renovate the original “Sunnyside Hotel”, circa 1897. The Magnolia Springs Bed and Breakfast first opened in 1997.
What to Expect as a Guest
As attentive and engaging innkeepers, David and Eric will make you feel at home right away. These true southern gentlemen are a treasure of local history and trivia, and they take great pride in the business, community and the area. Based on your individual interests they’ll offer suggestions of where to go and what to do. A positive guest experience is their primary goal from the moment you arrive. Clearly their sign in the front yard boasts their motto, “Classic Southern Hospitality”!
Inn History
Each of the five guest rooms is named for someone you’ll meet in the story below.
In 1800, the Spanish granted the tract of land, including what would become Magnolia Springs, to Joseph Collins. The area’s pine forests made turpentine distillation the largest enterprise around. Collins operated several turpentine stills in the area, and a small settlement surrounded them. During this time, a plantation home was built at the head of the Magnolia River.
When Union soldiers, now 20,000 strong, moved from Navy Cove to Spanish Fort in 1865, they passed near the mills. To prevent its capture, the owners burned the stills. The plantation home was spared. Six years after the war, in 1881, Mrs. Lizzie Breed purchased the land for 50 cents an acre. She and her son opened an Inn in the home named the Breed Hotel. In 1894, a large parcel of land along and back from the river was subdivided into the Lymans Addition of Magnolia Springs, creating 52 lots and several streets.
On July 31st, 1897, Christopher McLennan purchased lot 5 in the new subdivision, and began construction on a frame house. At this same time, several other lots were sold, and several large hotels were built. Two years after the homes completion, McLennan deeded this property to Edwin A. Bemis (the postmaster), but owned it again from 1902 until February 5th, 1909 when he sold it to Winnifred Corrigan. Mrs. Corrigan passed away in the last half of 1909. Her heir, Edward Corrigan sold the property to J.M. Gorman for $3,000 on December 12th, 1910.
Mr. Gorman, who was unable to pay the Corrigans led to a repossession of the property. The Corrigans then resold the property to William Henry Whittington Harding, and his wife Eliza on November 13th, 1913.
The Hardings opened the home as the Sunnyside Hotel, welcoming Northern travelers who made the multi-day journey south by train, boat, and buggy. After Mrs. Harding’s death, the property was inherited by Mrs. Harding’s sister, and her husband, Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Cowen. The two ceased to run it as a hotel as they were very private people. It did however, still serve as the communities major meeting place and Sunday dining place until the late 1940’s, or early ’50’s.
The house remained a private residence and passed through several hands until 1980. Rita and Don McNair purchased the home and restored the structure that had been divided into a duplex. Mrs. McNair was a member of the Hadley family and her roots in the area reach back some four or five generations. She was raised in Magnolia Springs and introduced her husband to it. Because of the McNair’s efforts in authentically restoring the house, on May 11, 1983, it was designated an Alabama State Landmark.
On December 13, 1996 David Worthington obtained the home, and turned it into a Bed & Breakfast. On March 14th, 1997 the house once again opened its doors to the public. From December of ’96 until March of ’97, all of the floors were refinished upstairs and downstairs. Central heat and air, as well as four bathrooms were installed upstairs. About 700′ of quarter round was stained and installed to tie in the newly constructed walls with the old. A new roof, septic systems, updated plumbing and laundry facilities to support the commercial use of the historic building were installed. The dining room was created out of two older parlors and the kitchen was updated with new equipment. Major work went into restoration/refinishing the pine beaded board and rare curly pine trim work seen throughout the entire structure. Since moving in David and Eric have spent countless hours removing 100 years of paint and caulk from the exterior and restoring it back to its original yellow color along with all the necessary woodwork needed on trim, walls, porch, stairs and railings.
Be Our Guest, Enjoy the Best
