The News-Gazette.com: Stopping By: Good sleep, wealth of history at Pestoum inn

Stopping By: Good sleep, wealth of history at Pestoum inn

By Amy Rose

Monday, September 8, 2008 3:16 PM CDT

PESOTUM – I was greeted at the front door of Sweet Dreams Bed and Breakfast Inn by proprietor Cheryl Smitley. Her friendly greeting set the tone for my visit with her and Fred, her husband of 31 years. However, I was not prepared for the beautiful elegance of the home they showed me.

The Smitleys say they fell in love with the original woodwork and fine craftsmanship when they first saw the 1902 Victorian-style home at 300 East Adams Street in Pesotum.

"The house has had excellent care," Cheryl said.

The home was originally built in 1902 by Bernard Youngman, who also operated a drainage tile manufacturing factory on the property. When the main house was built, it was attached to a smaller two-room home that was constructed in 1885. This portion is part of the Smitleys' private living quarters.

Surpisingly, the Smitleys are only the third family to own the home in all that time. Youngman's daughter Bernice and her husband Pete Meyer moved into the house after Youngman's passing. They lived there until about 20 years ago, when it was sold to Harold and Jean Kaufman. Jean was an artist and used the 1885 rooms of the house for her studio. The house stood vacant for about a year and a half before the Smitleys bought it from Harold Kaufman.

The home is filled with architectural detail and craftsmanship that is rarely found in modern homes. Each interior doorway is framed by an exquisitely carved door frame, with even the brass hinges finely etched with details. The main parlor has a small but magnificent fireplace framed by Brazilian marble with the original colorful tile flooring design at the opening. A hand-carved wooden mantel also sets off the impressive fireplace. The woodwork continues upstairs by following a detailed banister to the second floor.

Cheryl and Fred Smitley pose on the front porch of the 1902 Victorian-style home that houses their Sweet Dreams Bed & Breakfast Inn in Pesotum. By Darrell Hoemann

While the Smitleys were giving a tour of the home, I felt like I was also getting a tour of Cheryl's life. Cheryl, a retired school teacher, has designed the bed and breakfast as a tribute to her grandmother by naming the rooms after her and Granny's two sisters, Dot and Mary Ellen.

Cheryl, who grew up in Simi, Calif., said, "My grandmother raised me. She was a unique and special lady. She was the smartest woman I knew, even with an eighth-grade education."

Cheryl, now 62, still says she never wanted to disappoint her grandmother.

"It would have devastated me," she said.

When Cheryl's grandmother wasn't around, she was being watched over at school by her Aunt Dot, who worked there. The room dedicated to Dot is adorned with quilts she hand-stitched and some of her original paintings. It has a king-sized bed for guests.

Mary Ellen's room has a queen-sized bed and a sewing theme dedicated to the woman who was a professional seamstress. Mary Ellen's quilts are also featured in the house. Granny's room is the smallest of the three and also has a queen-sized bed.

Many of the antiques and decorations throughout the house are family heirlooms that have been saved by Cheryl or given to her by family members. Due to the abundance of fragile antiques and delicate details, Cheryl says the bed and breakfast would not be suitable for guests with small children.

Along with the three bedrooms, the inn has two full baths for guests, one upstairs and one downstairs. They are currently in the process of adding a full, private bath to the king-sized suite.

Special touches in service also add to the unique bed and breakfast experience at Sweet Dreams. New arrivals are greeted with plush robes and Flesor's chocolate candy treats in their rooms. Desserts and beverages are served in the evening for guests returning from their daily activities. Early risers can start off with Starbuck's coffee and muffins before a full breakfast is served in the dining room. There is also a lovely garden area for relaxing and visiting.

The Smitleys had spent most of their marriage living in California and traveling to bed and breakfast inns across the country. They had long talked about opening one of their own. Even going so far as keeping a journal of the places they visited and noting things they liked and disliked about each.

After a major car accident eight years ago, they decided it was time to start chasing their dream.

"We realized we had survived and we wanted to do something for us," Cheryl said.

Fred, a 66 year-old retired banker and landscaper, has enjoyed this new adventure with his wife.

"It's definitely a team effort. We work well together," he said.

The couple have fallen in love with Pesotum and have quickly became a part of the community.

"People have been very supportive of us. They all thought we were crazy and we wouldn't have more than six people. We've had quite a bit more than that," Cheryl said.

Their busiest times are during event weekends at the University of Illinois and Eastern Illinois University. Other local bed and breakfast proprietors have helped Sweet Dreams get established with travelers by recommending the inn when they have no vacancies.

The Smitleys hope to expand their business by offering events for small groups and families. They will start by offering afternoon teas to small groups in October. They are booked to host an ice cream social for the Champaign-Urbana Symphony next June. The Smitleys say they are willing to work with any special requests clients might have for meetings, reunions or social events.

Before I said good night to the Smitleys, they had one final treasure found in the home to share. It was a brittle and tattered scrap from the Jan. 29, 1879, edition of The Gazette newspaper, the grand-daddy of our own News-Gazette.

There's a story for almost every treasure, antique, trinket or doodad in the Sweet Dreams Bed and Breakfast, and Fred and Cheryl will be happy to tell you all about it.

If you go

What: Sweet Dreams Bed & Breakfast Inn

Address: 300 East Adams St., Pesotum

Proprietors: Cheryl and Fred Smitley

Phone: 722-5109

Web site: www.sweetdreamsbnb.com

Guest rooms and rates: Dot's Room (king), $115 a night; Mary Ellen's Room (queen), $105 a night; Granny's Room (queen), $90 a night

Yard mascot: Chester the Pelican. Chester is carved from California Redwood and greets guests while dressed in seasonal costumes.