Harrington House, something in a name

MILFORD — Question: Who lives at Harrington House Bed and Breakfast on West Harford St. in Milford? Answer: Adriane Wendell, the new Innkeeper and her handsome dog, Daniel who gently welcomes guests to this newly re-done inn right in the heart of town. If your answer was “Dr. Joseph and Mrs. Eileen Harrington,” you would have been only partially right. Although the retired dentist and his wife are still residents of Milford, they no longer live at this historic house built circa 1860, though it is named for them. The Harringtons are known and loved in the Borough of Milford and had lived in this house from 1962 to 2,000. It was then that they sold it to Jeannie and Al Crosby who named it the Hattree Inn and ran it until Adriane Wendell bought it in September of this year. Owning an inn was a long term fantasy of this charming hospitable young woman from Chevy Chase, Md. Though she had worked for ATT selling communications gear and services to the government, she envisioned a dream of becoming an innkeeper. She had even taken a seminar offered by the Professional Association of Inn Keepers and had worked with innkeeping consultants like Carol and Tom Edmondson on Cape Cod where she was thinking about starting an inn. She was able to transfer her experience in finance and marketing to innkeeping, which she discovered, was running all aspects of a small business, not only practicing hospitality. As Adriane was searching for the perfect inn to buy, lo and behold, she found it right here in Milford this summer when she was visiting family. Someone mentioned that the Hattree Inn was for sale, and it was destiny. With the help of Fran Wood, owner of Patina on Broad Street, Adriane completely redecorated the inside. She furnished it with many of her own antiques and restored the house to its original Victorian charm. The inn has four beautifully appointed guest rooms, each with a private bath and a full range of luxury amenities from cozy robes to chocolates. Harrington House boasts five working fireplaces, original plank floors, a wrap around porch, and an elegant interior. It also has central air-conditioning. Once Adriane restored the historic ambiance, she searched for a name for her newly realized dream. Interestingly enough, not too many locals instantly recognized theHattree name, but every time Adriane described the house on West Harford Street, people would say, “Oh, you mean Doc Harrington’s old place.” Through a gracious introduction of Duke Schneider, Wendell spoke to the Harringtons and suggested that she would like to name the inn, Harrington House, since it fit so well with the history and feel of the house. Joe and Eileen Harrington were delighted and were on hand at the recent Pike County Chamber of Commerce Grand Opening. Wendell loves her new role as innkeeper. She especially likes making the full breakfasts (included in the reasonable room rates). Some days she makes a soufflé, other days pancakes. The inn has already developed a reputation and has already hosted guests from various areas of the U.S. and internationally as well.