HANCOCK INN (continued) “We followed our instincts,” says Marcia. “Our first thought was ‘What would we like to see as guests?’” Fortunately, the inn, which was built in 1789 by Noah Wheeler, was in pretty good shape when they bought it, but there was some deferred maintenance to catch up on. “There was a lot of ‘buffing of the gem’ that needed to be done,” says Marcia. Because much of that work involved improving upon the inn’s grounds. Jarvis says they put a lot of work into the inn’s croquet course and its vegetable and flowers gardens. “We think the best feature of the inn is the great outdoors,” says Jarvis. And New Hampshire’s scenery is what usually brings first-timers and repeat visitors to the Hancock Inn, he added. “For many people, a New England vacation is on their bucket list,” he said. The lure of the region It’s not only the scenery and the inn’s proximity to Mt. Monadnock that bring folks to the inn, says Marcia, but also the region’s history. “That’s a big draw,” she says. Many visitors come on a pilgrimage to the Monadnock Region; perhaps to place a stone on Willa Cather’s tombstone in Jaffrey or sit in the same spot on the mountain where sat Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Also nearby is the world-famous MacDowell Colony,
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a refuge in Peterborough for artists of all kinds. Catering to those who want to learn more about Colonial America, Marcia and Jarvis also host “History Weekends,” featuring field trips and dinner speakers. Of course, the inn gets plenty of day trippers — folks staying for a night during foliage and apple-picking season — as well as wedding parties and family reunions. In the winter — while the intrepid might venture out to cross-country ski along Hancock’s gently sloped landscape, skate or go ice fishing in one of the many nearby ponds — visitors are often found just lounging in front of a wood stove in one of the inn’s cozy common rooms, reading a book or playing a board game. And because each room, unlike some other bed and breakfasts in the area, has its own bathroom, lodgers might be there just to tune out and relax before venturing downstairs to the Fox Tavern for dinner. Stepping back in time While there is plenty of history throughout the inn, with its slightly canted, wide pine floors and its stenciled walls, the tavern is a real throwback to Colonial times. With green-framed windows, its wooden tables and chairs, it would be easy to imagine a town crier striding into the room with the latest news or a musket-carrying pioneer shaking snow off his buck-skinned shoulders. The menu changes for the seasons to include local produce, but New England mainstays, such as its famous pot roast and pan-roasted fish, keep visitors and