Happy New Year!

Dear Friends,

 Happy New Year to our Pelican Inn families! We thought it might be fun to look back at the visual history of the Inn. Documented through photographs and drawings, it provides a fascinating timeline of its architectural and aesthetic changes.

Our earliest visual reference is a remarkable drawing from the 1850s or 1860s, created by Emily Weston, the Inn's original owner. This drawing is invaluable as it strongly suggests the house was originally painted white. Crucially, it also captures specific architectural details, such as the decorative arches on the porch, which were a feature of its original design. It offers a glimpse of the property's landscaping during its infancy, depicting the now-mature live oaks as newly planted saplings.

Moving into the 20th century, a photograph from the early 1900s offers another significant point of reference. Similar to the Weston drawing, this early photograph appears to show the structure painted white. However, a notable change is evident: the porch arches shown in the original drawing are no longer present. This photo also provides an important layout detail, as it was taken before the kitchen addition was constructed. It indicates that the original porch structure extended continuously around the side of the house where the kitchen now stands.

The photo above features the Inn with almost no paint and was taken in 1989 by us when we were guests after Hurricane Hugo, and before the Evans family opened up the long covered arches and (with Sam Walton's help) repainted in the early 1990s.  This was last time the house was repainted before our recent work on the Inn.

The last set of photographs captures the critical stages of the most recent repainting project. A late 2023 photograph documents the exact condition of the existing paint, which prompted us to undertake the necessary restoration work. Subsequent photos illustrate the intensive effort involved in preparing the surface: one image specifically shows the detailed prep work; sanding, scraping with electric grinders, and minor repairs. Finally, the collection is capped with an image showing the beautifully refreshed exterior immediately following the completion of the 2023-2024 repainting process.