Innkeepers Biography

Periodically, we think it would be nice to tell you more about the lives of some of our staff, especially those who have been with us for so long. Therefore, we thought it would be nice to start with Innkeepers, Ellen and Terry.

Ellen and Terry are both originally from Columbus. Ellen graduated from Bexley High School, played lots of tennis and received her B.S. in Health Education from Kent State University. Ellen started her career at Children’s Hospital. Then, Ellen worked at the Franklinton Health Center in their clinic teaching classes to the local community. She changed career directions and followed into her father’s footsteps in the women’s apparel industry. Ellen worked as a sales representative for several years and became the manager of a local women’s clothing chain. From there, the rest is history. Ellen moved to the Hocking Hills six months before her mother opened the Inn.

Terry grew up and went to school in Whitehall. He worked his way though school working at Temple Israel. He spent lots of time learning the trade of construction and woodworking. His mother was born and raised in the Hocking Hills. When Terry finished high school, the family moved to the Hocking Hills. Terry farmed for many years raising cows, chickens, and his favorite, pigs. While farming, Terry also worked maintenance jobs in Columbus. Terry’s mother was very creative and artistic. She taught Terry how to quilt, garden, can fresh food and paint.

Terry met Ellen when Ellen’s mother hired him as her contractor to build the Inn. They married and had their daughter Sarah and lived in the original summer kitchen. Three years later they had Benjamin. Sarah is now a junior at the University of Dayton majoring in Business Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Benjamin will be attending North Carolina University in August. He will major in Civil Engineering. Both of them have been active working at the Inn.

So, Terry and Ellen will be “empty-nesters” this fall. They hope to continue their passion of traveling. In addition, Ellen will remain active as a Hospice volunteer and Terry will continue his volunteering with the Stuart’s Opera House. They hope to take a class in ballroom dancing. Ellen wants to learn to knit again. Terry will have the chance to fish more often.

New Gathering Place

While Terry and Ellen are the principal owners of the Inn, they have an Advisory Board comprised of several shareholders and business owners. The Advisory Board meets bi-annually and we recently met. The board discussed and we are excited to announce we will be building a new Gathering Place. Terry was given an original log cabin last summer and we plan to put it to good use. We have used the common room over the years for business meetings and group events. However, we continue to get requests for a larger space. Since our overnight lodging and restaurant can accommodate up to 50 people, we decided we needed a place where we could house groups up to 50. The newest construction project will begin late summer/early fall. A glass breezeway will be added to the end of the sunroom dining room. The building will be attached to the breezeway and constructed into the side of the hill. The Gathering Place will be as green and environmentally constructed as possible. The room will be used for meetings, weddings, classes, sport events, and a larger tavern area on weekends. We hope to have construction finished by late winter.