Before leaving their marketing careers in Californiato become Virginia innkeepers, Pamela and Don McMurray spent four years looking at almost 200 B&Bs. In 1991 they finally settled on the Norris House, a Federal-style home in the center ofhistoric Leesburgwith 14-inch-thick brick walls. The McMurrays spent two years restoring the home, built in stages from 1760 to 1885, and landscaping the gardens. Two celebrated early 19th-century builders, the Norris brothers, are responsible for the portico with turned spindles, the Adam-style mantel in the parlor, and the shiny wild-cherry bookcases in the library. A four-poster bed with lace canopy can be found in the Norris Room. Across the gardens is the Stone House Tea Room, another Mc-Murray business. Guests also have access to a self-service business center.
The McMurrays are amateur genealogists, and they offer special packages to guests sharing their interest. But since 1991 there hasn’t been much time for tracing ancestors. Instead, in a gesture guests will be able to appreciate, they have devoted spare moments to tending their garden, which in 1995 was named the county’s Garden of the Year.
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