Chris and Jayne Andrews relocated to Roanoke from Orlando, FL in 2017 to purchase the Inn. Married with 4 adult children and 5 grandchildren, we have long been fans of bed and breakfast accommodations, having been married in Jayne's parents B&B in Cape Cod. Both of us come from a management background- Chris as a transportation consultant, and Jayne as an upper level manager at one of the largest Methodist churches in the country.

We love the outdoors, having spent our childhood in Upstate NY and the Adirondack Park. We have traveled throughout the USA, enjoying unique coffee shops in Colorado, winery tours in Napa, antiquing in Pennsylvania, and Epcot festivals in Florida. Chris especially like auctions and estate sales, while Jayne enjoys preparing healthy, delicious breakfasts. We are looking forward to exploring all that Roanoke and the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains has to offer, and sharing our experiences with you, our guest!

1526 Franklin Road was built in the 1920s as a private home. At some point in its history it became a multi-family dwelling and subsequently fell into disrepair. Ronald Chuman purchased the property in 2005, and immediately surrounded the building with high safety fences, removed the tree off the roof and boarded up all windows and doors. After securing the building, work began inside of the home. The ceiling was taken down, and a lot of the wall finish and framing were removed, as well as any of the original trim that could be saved. The next project was the arduous task of stripping and sanding all of the trim along with the front porch columns, balusters and railings, as well as stripping the wallpaper and paint from the remaining plaster.

After the framing was complete, all new plumbing, electricity and HVAC was installed. The exterior of the house was painted, with installation of all new windows and doors complete. In 2007, the insulation and drywall was completed, and the priming of all walls, ceilings, woodwork, and tons of tile work were completed. From September 2007 to January 2008 the front porch was rebuilt; from the ground up, trimmed, and painted. From January until June, 2008 the electricity and plumbing were trimmed out, the two kitchens were installed and the rear porches were covered with roofs. The city awarded Ron with an Architectural award soon after this, and then some serious landscaping began. The landscaping required 12 truckloads of dirt to be removed to level the rear for a parking area, as well as 120 tons of stone hauled in for the drive. Lastly, the original rock wall was restored and additional rock walls were built with lights.

The actual date of incorporation of The Black Lantern Inn was June 12, 2008. The Black Lantern Inn was officially opened on Jan 1, 2009. Thank you for visiting our website and reading the history of the Inn. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Chris and Jayne Andrews, Owners/Innkeepers