our history

The Inn Berlin Bed & Breakfast has been lovingly transformed into a grand estate, with a unique history that dates back over two centuries. Local narratives tell of a primitive dwelling on the farmland that dates back to 1790, and the earliest land sale we know of occurred in 1817 when George W. Purnell sold the 123 acre property known as Mount Pleasant to Josiah Hill. In 1835 the property transferred hands again to James Dirickson, who built the original farmhouse.

The original two-and-a-half story frame farmhouse faces east, and is composed of the front section of The Inn (veranda, front hall, drawing room, dining room, and the 2nd and 3rd level rooms). The interior of the front section retains its 1830s Federal style woodwork, while the back of the home was extensively reworked in 1898 in Victorian taste. Berliners recount that the distinguished house and surrounding property were the highest point on a large parcel of farmland that stretched for a thousand acres to the west. Dirickson resided in the home until his death around 1859, and in that same year the Staton family purchased the home and 30 acres of the property.

The Staton family have numerous historical references in Berlin and the surrounding area. Reverend Warner P. Staton owned quite a bit of land in Worcester and Somerset counties, and was the pastor of Nassaongo Old School Baptist Church near Salisbury for many years. His son George W. Staton was a merchant turned minister, going on to become an Elder at the church until his death around 1890. Warner’s more documented son, John Warner (J.W.) Staton, was a prominent merchant in Berlin and he owned a store which occupied a city block.

Unfortunately, the majority of the historical records and documents pertaining to The Inn property and surrounding area were destroyed in the second great fire of 1893, in Snow Hill, Maryland. Local narratives and surviving historical records describe the Staton residence as a key way-point that horse-drawn stagecoaches would frequent on the United States Postal route spanning the Delmarva Peninsula. In fact, we discovered that John Warner (J.W.) Staton was the postmaster for the town of Berlin in 1867, as seen below in the Post Office Department Records from 1867. This supports local narratives of the property and its ties to the U.S. Postal Service during the 19th century.

Staton’s son, also J.W. Staton, went on to practice law and served the Worcester County community and local Berlin businesses. One of the businesses that Staton Jr. worked with was Harrisons’ Nurseries. Located just down the road, Harrisons’ Nurseries started as peach growers in 1884 and grew into a nationwide nursery catalog business. Horse-drawn wagons of peaches were delivered to the Union Station railroad depot, located in front of The Inn property. Just down the road from The Inn, you’ll find the Harrison family’s historic home, Windy Brow. In fact, Harrison Avenue was created because the town’s mayor at the time had asked Orlando Harrison to keep the big trucks visiting the nursery off Main Street. In 1898, The Harrison family purchased the Staton residence, and it was during this time that the house was renovated in Victorian taste.

The home has transferred hands many times since its inception in the late 18th century, but we do know that the Whitman family owned the property from 1944-1957, followed by the Brueckman family. The Decker family purchased the property in the 1990s, and subdivided the lot into The Inn estate, and 6.5 acres of parkland which is a town-owned green-space.

Purchased again in 2010, the previous owners found the property in disrepair after sitting vacant for many years. They discovered caved-in floors, crumbling plaster & chimneys, and even a large nest of honey bees living in the attic. Through the 15 month complete renovation, the property owners were able to conserve the original wood plank flooring, the wooden trim and staircase, the hand-carved mantles, an antique claw-foot bathtub, the hundred-year-old pecan & Russian cypress trees, and the overall layout of the home. Both of the home’s preserved wooden mantles were hand-carved by the same mason who created the mantles at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Estate. The Waystead Inn operated as a bed and breakfast from 2010-2020. Marco and Maya Tomasello established The Inn Berlin in 2021 after a year of renovations and a complete design overhaul. View the gallery for more photos of The Inn, circa 2021.