When Sen. Henry Gassaway Davis built this extravagant “summer retreat” in 1893, he named it for his fifth child, Grace. Its turreted, Queen Anne architecture blends native oak, cherry, and maple timbers with Tiffany glass and a broad, imposing stairway, lending a country elegance to the rustic castle, now an inn run by Davis & Elkins College and its students. After standing empty fortwo decades, the National His-toric Landmark underwent a $2 million restoration and reopened in 1996. With sweeping views of the townbelow, it has a sitting room and nine huge guest rooms (one is octagonal and measures 600 square feet), lavishly decorated with reproductions and some period pieces. Eventually, 13 rooms will be renovated. A light breakfast greets guests, but a grander repast is dinner in the Mingo Room, featuring smoked salmon pâté, veal Oscar, and grilled duck breast. Grace would be pleased at her namesake’s Renaissance.
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