ST. GEORGE — Featuring historical items, such as a 1927 Ford Model T transformed into a jetted tub, the city’s longest-running bed and breakfast is about to celebrate 150 years. 

Peggy Armour, owner of Mulberry Inn, told St. George News that her drive comes from a desire to connect with others.

“That’s the reason I do this – to meet people,” she said, “and to share this love of the history of this house and the entire area. This house is a part of the fiber of St. George. It’s exciting. I love, love it.”

The 150th anniversary celebration and ribbon cutting will take place Thursday, Jan. 25, at 12:30 p.m. All members of the community are encouraged to attend. Some attendees will be those who have ancestors who lived in the house at some point during the last 150 years. Members of the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce also will be in attendance. 

Attendees will have the rare opportunity to experience a full tour of the historical home, including all seven ensuites. Hot apple cider and classic cookies such as oatmeal and molasses will be served. 

A look back

Known to many as the Seven Wives Inn Bed & Breakfast, the inn’s name changed to The Mulberry Inn after Armour purchased it in 2020. 

“I stepped into that front door, and I knew this place was mine,” Armour said. “I knew it. It was home. This is supposed to be me. I love this house. It’s my passion.”

But the history started long before that.

The adobe brick home was originally built for Edwin G. Wooley and his family in 1873. In 1907, the Foster family purchased the home. With 15 residents and one bathroom, they added onto the house, providing a significant amount of additional space. Plumbing also was installed for the first time. 

These two notable families attached to the home led to its historic name – the Wooley/Foster home. In 1979, the Curtis family purchased the home and opened the Seven Wives Inn Bed & Breakfast.

Since Armour and her husband purchased the inn, she said they’ve restored stucco, replaced the roof and fixed the chimney that was once falling off. They also added laundry facilities and outdoor night lighting.

“Just restoring it to its loveliness,” she said about the inn. “We’ve put a lot of work into it to make it stand out and be a beauty. The authenticity of this place is so important to me.”

The historical inn features seven rooms, seven and a half bathrooms and a garage apartment. Every room includes a full bathroom, and six of the rooms are named after a book character from the era the home was built. Names include the Becky Thatcher Room – named after the protagonist in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” 

Upon entering the home, visitors are greeted with a sizeable wooden hall stand — a gift from Brigham Young to the original owners. In the front room, a sparkling chandelier from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints St. George temple hangs from the ceiling. 1930s wallpaper covers the walls, and in the corner sits a 1904 pump organ. 

Other items found inside the inn’s room include an 1825 gas pump from Parowan, a headboard made out of a cold box (fridge) from the Leeds General Store and hand-painted lights.

Haunted?

Listed online as one of the most haunted places in the U.S., the inn draws many curious people, Armour said. Ghost hunters are known to rent the Sherlock Room, the attic where polygamists were once hidden.

“Watch your head,” Armour said, as she led the way up a steep set of small stairs to the attic. “This is the original attic, and there was no staircase to it at that time. They had to go through a secret panel in the back to pop up in there and hide.”

After polygamy was outlawed, she said men would hide in the attic when the U.S. Marshalls visited. And that’s where the name Seven Wives Inn came from.

But despite the rumors, Armour said she’s never seen anything that would resemble a haunted house. The idea of ghosts hasn’t stopped her from purchasing other historical homes, either. She and her husband also own the 1881 Whitehead Home located across the street from the Mulberry Inn.

“Me and my husband, we’ve been going to bed and breakfasts for 35 years,” she said. “We fell in love with them. When you stay at a bed and breakfast, you get to find out the true local spots and meet true locals. It’s so special, just like this house.”

For more information on The Mulberry Inn, visit their website or call 435-261-7888. Or check out their pages on Instagram and Facebook. 

Event details

• What: 150th-anniversary celebration and ribbon cutting for The Mulberry Inn
• When: Thursday, Jan. 25, at 12:30 p.m.
• Where: The Mulberry Inn at 217 N 100 West in St. George
• Admission: Free
• Visit the event page for more information

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