The History of North Creek Ridge B&B

While the Inn itself is a new build and the property was (and actually still is) primarily a cattle pasture, the land has a historical past.

Land transfer documents from the 1830s and 1840s show the property was purchased by the North family who lived here until the late 1800s. The most prominent member of the North family was Dr. Robert Alexander North who provided most of the medical care in the area prior to the Civil War.  He was often away from home for long periods of time taking care of patients.  Few could pay for medical care, so he often came home with ham or fowl. After his death, his desk was found filled with IOUs collected from patients over the years which if collectible, would have made him a wealthy man. His namesake, the son of a North cousin, is listed as a member of a volunteer company of students formed in April 1861 at Hampden-Sydney College in nearby Farmville, VA.

Just down the hill from the patio is a small family cemetery containing several graves of the Phelps family (including a veteran of the War of 1812), who were original owners of the property, and the North family. Some records indicate Dr. R.A. North is buried here on the property. Slate slabs were erected on most graves but no markings remain. It is thought that the graves of slaves and indentured servants who worked the property may be located on the hillside across from the cemetery.

The Inn is located on Route 26, Oakville Road, which was a main road in the mid-1800s. Various military units involved in the Battle of Appomattox which ended with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House used this route in April 1865.  It is generally believed that Confederate forces buried two pieces of artillery somewhere in the area intending to recover them later to continue the fight. Many local residents tell stories of ancestors who say they actually saw this happen.  To this date, however, nothing has been found.