Franklin-Penland House

Built in 1883 by Theodore Franklin, the house was purchased by Stokes Penland in 1898, and operated as a mountain inn until the 1970's.  The Franklins, descendants of Benjamin Franklin's brother, were the earliest settlers of Linville Falls.  The father, Samuel, and his three sons operated sawmills and businesses that helped the area to develop.  Stokes was an innkeeper, teacher, and 'revenooer'.  This 1900s photo shows Stokes and his sister, Jennie Penland Clark, Linville Falls' first postmistress.

1902 Post Office

Linville Falls' first free-standing P.O. was this little red building.   Previously, citizens had picked up their mail and news from the front hallway of the Hyams' house across the street.  This P.O. operated from 1902 until 1935, when the present little post office in the village was opened.

Living in a Construction Site!

The doors and windows on the upper porch show that the inn rooms were only 8'x8', and had no running water (but an opening cut in the upper porch floor to pull a bucket from the well on the lower porch --so handy!)  The interior is barely liveable now, but we hope to eventually reopen some rooms for guests.

Franklin-Penland House

Recently named to the National Register of Historic Places, the house, Post Office, and outbuildings now occupy three acres on Highway 183 in Linville Falls.  The old barn, where Stokes Penland kept his horses to bring tourists up the mountain in a half-day journey, is located on neighboring land.