A History of Beechwood Inn

Vintage Rabun County – Beechwood Inn; by Mary Elizabeth Law

When the train came to Clayton in 1905, it opened the county to visitors and tourists.  These tourists needed a place to stay to enjoy the cool breezes and beautiful mountain scenery.  One of these lodgings was the Beechwood Inn which began operation in 1922.  It is located at 220 Beechwood Drive off U.S. Highway 76E and is still in operation.  It was constructed by Dr. Herman Charles Buchholz who was born in Germany but came with his family to New York while still a youth.

He and his brother began business in Atlanta, where he met his wife, Lura Ellen Young, from Virginia.  He and his wife new moved back to New York where he graduated from Rochester Theological Seminary.  Being an ordained Baptist Minister, he served in churches in Georgia and South Carolina.  In about 1914 he and Lura settled in Clayton where he preached at the First Baptist Church. Starting in 1916 he and Lura constructed their home on a hillside overlooking the small town of Clayton. In the last years of his life, he was employed as a state evangelist for the Georgia Mission Board.

Dr. and Mrs. Buchholz had three daughters and one son, Glen, who died in infancy.  The daughters were Bernice, Lura and Ruth. Their home, “Beechwood Inn,” became a popular destination for the family’s many friends throughout the southeast as the cool North Georgia Mountains offered a welcome respite from summer heat and humidity. After Dr. Buchholz death in 1921 Lura and Bernice began running the home commercially as the Beechwood Inn, a summer house. Miss Bernice, as everyone called her, also taught 4th grade at Clayton Elementary School.

A 1931 ad stated that the inn had all the modern conveniences: fresh vegetables from our garden, fresh milk from our dairy, chickens and eggs daily from our poultry yard, and the most appetizing things to eat on the market. Also available was a swimming pool fed from a spring.  One advantage of the swimming pool was when the guests finished playing, the spring house was nearby and they could drink fresh cider and buttermilk to their hearts’ content.

Daughter Ruth married W.S. Bearden from Oakway, SC. She met her husband on trips with her father to conduct revival meetings.  She was an accomplished musician, teaching voice and piano. She was the organist of the Clayton Baptist Church all her adult life.

Daughter Lura married E.J. Vittur in Atlanta. After moving to Clayton, Mr. Vittur was owner and operator of the Sinclair Filling Station and Garage on Main Street.

The original cottage and log cabin had many additions to accommodate growing numbers of visitors.  After the death of Lura Buchholz in 1957, daughter Bernice ran the inn for a number of additional years.  After the death of Bernice the inn was not kept up and was unoccupied for more than a decade.  During this time the property was subdivided into lots and sold, leaving only the inn site. Gayle and David bought the inn in 2000 and have done extensive remodeling.

Today the Beechwood Inn continues the tradition of warm hospitality and fine dining. Though they no longer raise cows, chickens and pigs for menu items, they strive to use local products whenever possible and to provide guests with the best of American cuisine.  “Our little niche is putting people together with wine and wines events,” says Gayle Darugh.