The Inn at Schoolhouse Creek is the first historic resort on the Mendocino stretch of the North Coast. Its opening coincided with the completion of the ‘Shoreline Highway’ in 1932, now Highway One.
The previous owners moved turn-of-the-century mill workers’ homes onto the property. These are now Rose, Heather, Fuchsia, Cypress, and Water Tower cottages. The Garden-edge cottages Thyme and Tansy were also built at this time, in classic 30’s motor court style.
During World War II, the property was turned over to the US Coast Guard to house the shore patrol. Pomo Cottage was used as the Coast Guard mess hall. In the late 1950s, the Inn underwent another change when the motel craze swept America. Our units in the front (Point Cabrillo, Van Damme, Buckhorn Cove, and Anderson Valley) were built to cater to the tourists in their cars.
In the 1980s, owners Peter Friary and Linda Wilson revitalized the old gardens, uncovered historical features, and incorporated the old Ledford Home into the resort. Additions to the Inn continued under Al & Penny Greenwood who opened three new units: Garden Cottage, Captain’s Watch, and Whale Watch. The last addition to the property was the reopening of the Water Tower Cottage-complete with a private hot tub and observation deck by Steven and Maureen in the Fall of 2002.
