Elkhorn Inn Restoration

"This Old WV House":
Dan & Elisse's Restoration of the
Elkhorn Inn & Theatre

Welcome to Dan & Elisse's Really Big Old House!
The story begins in the summer of 2002, when Dan & Elisse found the Inn &
Theatre. Dan & Elisse work for FEMA, and Dan was working for the FEMA
Disaster Recovery Operation following the flooding of southern WV in May 2002.
Driving for months throughout McDowell County, they often passed the historic
"Coal Heritage Trail" building & the copy of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Flooded
twice, abandoned & vandalized, the Inn building was a mud & mold-filled shell. The
deck & bridge had been destroyed, the doors had been stolen along with just about
everything else- only the claw-foot bathtubs, toilets & sinks remained intact. The
darling little Theatre had been abandoned & water-loggged, & the property used as a
dumping ground for everything from tires to broken appliances. But they looked at it
& saw what it Could be: An elegant Inn with lovely rooms filled with art and vintage
quilts... a patio with cafe tables for train and bird-watching... sitting on the balcony
with a glass of wine as the mist covers the mountains at twilight and the "Pokey"
goes by... local bands playing at the Theatre... a shop filled with beautiful West
Virginia arts & crafts... meetings & special events... a lovely dining room for parties
and weddings... perhaps even a small museum to showcase the history of the area...
They took leave from FEMA & moved to McDowell County to save & restore the
Inn & Theatre, and renamed their new home for the Elkhorn Creek that runs
between the two.
There'd been 4 feet of mud in the Inn and there was 5 feet of of mud still in the
basement... so in the middle of an ice storm they (Dan!) shoveled out the mud,
gutted the entire first floor, powerwashed it with bleach & dried it out, & they
moved into their new home in January, 2003. Since then they've rewired, replumbed
& rebuilt it, from the roof (newly shingled), to the floors (new pink marble), walls,
& ceilings (Dan's plaster "crowsfeet" & crown molding). Elisse brought her art
collection from her NYC gallery, antiques & textiles, they cleared away the garbage,
weed-whacked & planted roses and tulips, sunflowers and veggies, installed new
"antique" lampposts, & opened their home as the Elkhorn Inn bed-and-breakfast in
May 2003.
Dan is US Army Retired, with 21 years of military management experience and 16+
in civillian and government service. Elisse, a veteran (Sgt.) of the IDF and an
Official Artist for the US Coast Guard, has 25+ years in international art business
management, marketing & promotions, and government service.
We believe in the power of Sweat Equity.
By opening the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre, we provide tourism and recreation
facilities in McDowell County, & so help our area recover from the floods.
There's still LOTS to do, & Boy, could we use some help!
We've restored the Elkhorn Theatre, and it's now available
for Special Events: live music, fun, creek-side weddings,
reunions, BBQs, ATV "Poker Runs"...
Click here to see our Theatre page!
Click here to see our Wedding page!
Click here to see our New Gift Shop
and Museum Room!
The Art Studio is now open, and can be used
by artists staying at the Inn.

Fore more information, contact Dan & Elisse Clark at
elisse@elkhorninnwv.com or call 304-862-2031 or 1-800-708-2040.