Fensalden: An Albion B&B
with a Ghostly Past

By George Medovoy, Editor

About 150 years ago, this is where the stagecoach stopped.

Today, the only relic of those rough-and-ready times is the original tavern room-brothel, now part of Fensalden, a cozy, eight-room bed-and-breakfast inn on the tree-lined bluffs overlooking the Mendocino Coast in Albion.

One can only imagine what long-distance travel was like back then because Highway 1 didn’t exist, and the only way to reach the coast was along bumpy, backcountry roads, which have since disappeared.

But the inn holds traces of those bygone days that can spur the imagination…

My own evocative voyage began in Fensalden’s Great Room, around a big antique table with other guests to enjoy innkeeper Lyn Hamby’s delicious gourmet breakfasts, which she spices up with wonderful tales.

The Great Room

The Great Room was originally located on the north end of the property, but workers moved it to the present site about 30 years ago. As she serves us her tasty Salsa and Cheese Soufflé for breakfast, Lyn – the great-great granddaughter of the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne – tells us to angle our heads upward, and sure enough, when we do, we see the unmistakable signs of scatter shot on the original redwood ceiling.

"There may have been a poker table under the ceiling in those days," Lyn chuckles. "Maybe somebody dropped an extra ace or something."

Like a classic Old West movie, tempers would flare – and a poker player might draw his gun and start shooting.

When the stagecoach made its run, this wasn’t the only tavern in the neighborhood. In fact, no less than 15 taverns lined a five-mile stretch of road to serve the lumber industry.

These watering holes were very popular, says Lyn, because "lumbering must have been very thirsty work."

Strange Figure Named Elizabeth

And in those early days, one of the "ladies of the night" is said to have been a strange figure named Elzabeth, who is now supposed to occupy the two-room Hawthorne Suite, named for Lyn’s famous literary relative.

"The story we heard," says Lyn, "was that Elzabeth made the unforgivable mistake of falling in love with one of her clients, and when he got ready to leave, she got ready to leave.

"They got to the door and he said, ‘Wait a minute, sweetheart, this was a business deal. I’m leaving – you’re not.’ He took off, and they say that she went up to the attic and pined away."

Today, sunlight floods into the Hawthorne Suite to illuminate Lyn’s family antiques and a 22-volume-set of Hawthorne’s books, copywrited in 1900 and signed by Rose Hawthorne Lathrop, Nathaniel's daughter.

And legend has it that Elzabeth is not pining anymore – but united with the ghost of Nathaniel Hawthorne. "Nathaniel was a bit of a rue in his own day," according to Lyn, "and so what we think happened was that their ghosts…got together."

It Doesn't Get Too Ghostly

But in case you’re wondering, things really don’t get too "ghostly."
"Now Elzabeth does things that are just playful, like taking the candlesticks," Lyn explains.

"They’re just gone, and then a day or two later, boom, they’re back…right where they’re supposed to be. She doesn’t hurt anything, she doesn’t take anything away for good. She’s just a happy camper now."

Accommodations at Fensalden, a Norse name meaning "land of the sea and the mist," include the main house, a water tower suite, and a bungalow. Each room comes with gas or wood burning fireplace, ocean or garden view, private bath, antiques, and a refrigerator with a complimentary bottle of wine upon arrival.

The Hawthorne Suite features a queen-size canopy bed, sitting room with wood burning fireplace, refrigerator, and an ocean view.
When the weather is stormy, you can curl up with a good book and a glass of port, or you can wander into the adjacent Sun Room and try one of the giant puzzles.

Meanwhile, Fensalden’s 20-acre grounds are also home to a menagerie of resident animals: three ducks named Ebenezer, David Copperfield, and Lady Jane Gray; twin, mischievous pygmy goats named Nanette and Dominique; and Suki, a playful Golden Retriever you can go for walks with.

Hamby was a registered nurse back East, "but then they changed the rules, and when they didn’t let you be a bedside nurse anymore…I left." She came to California in the late 1970’s and loved "the freedom of it."

Emerging onto the coast from Highway 128, she knew she was home. "When I saw the ocean," she remembers, "I had to pull over, my eyes just filled up."

She moved many of her family antiques into Fensalden, where now she graciously shares her adopted home with her many visitors... and ghosts.

LYN HAMBY’S "SALSA AND CHEESE SOUFFLE:
Prepare individual soufflé cups as follows:

Spray soufflé dishes with pam and cover bottom with a thick salsa.
Add a large kitchen spoon of grated Jack and Cheddar cheese.

Combine 1 egg per portion, with 1/3-cup skim milk and beat. Pour over salsa and cheese. Bake 1 hour in 350F oven.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP:
Fensalden is located on Highway 1 at 33810 Navarro Ridge Road in the hamlet of Albion, about 10 minutes south of the Mendocino village.

Lyn hosts a late-afternoon wine-and-hors d’oeuvres hour for her guests in the Great Room, with its magnificent view of the ever-changing sea.

For reservations, call 800-959-3850 or visit www.fensalden.com. The email address is inn@fensalden.com.