Your Hosts Norris & Mary Elizabeth Priest
Yes, we are the Priest’s with the Vaughn Insurance Agency in Henderson KY and also own Henderson’s premier Bed and Breakfast the L&N Bed and Breakfast Ltd.
Thank you for coming by and seeing what we have to offer.
The Priest family, from left, Norris, Nibby and Mary Elizabeth were given the Downtown Henderson Project’s “Heart of Henderson” award.
Photo by Mike Lawrence
By RON JENKINS, Gleaner correspondent
Friday, January 26, 2007
A family that lives and works in downtown Henderson was honored Thursday as recipient of the Downtown Henderson Project’s “Heart of Henderson” award, marking the first time in in the award’s 13-year history that it has gone to a family.
Norris Priest, his wife Mary Elizabeth and their son Nibby were lauded by presenter Bill Rideout as a family involved in a wide range of “in-depth opportunities” that promote Henderson and its downtown.
The Priest family owns the Vaughn Insurance Agency at 315 N. Main St. and the L&N Bed and Breakfast at 327 N. Main as well as downtown rental property.
“We always like to say we’ve come a long way,” Mrs. Priest said, smiling. “Our first home was across the street from where we are now.” In a more serious vein, Mrs. Priest told the audience, “You don’t know what a delight it has been” to manage the bed and breakfast, which has attracted visitors to Henderson from afar.
Rideout described the bed and breakfast as “a great public relations vehicle” for Henderson and outlined several civic endeavors by the family, including Nibby Priest’s organizational efforts for the Pickin’ n Pedalin’ biking event related to Bluegrass in the Park, Mrs. Priest’s volunteer role as a swimming instructor for young schoolchildren and Norris Priest’s entertainment contribution as an amateur magician.
“This is a great community to be from,” Norris Priest said. “It’s really been good to us. We love you and may God bless you in a special way.”
The other key awards presented by DHP Executive Director Julie Martin at Thursday’s breakfast event in the Wolf’s Convention Center:
– The Commercial Design Award to Park Machine & Supply Co. at 426 First St., and The Pear Tree at 324 N. Elm St. Jewell Coursey, son Marty Coursey and Marty’s cousin Bob Lilly accepted the award for Park Machine & Supply, a third generation family operation that was praised for their “significant interior and exterior renovations” at the business that traces its origins to 1938 as part of the old Delker Bros. Furniture complex.
Marty Coursey, who related that a grandfather he never knew came from Detroit and opened the Park Machine business in 1938, said the owners invested in a renovation that took the building the “back to where it was in the 1940s.”
Brenda Spencer and husband Ron, owners of The Pear Tree, which opened originally on the ground floor of the old Soaper Hotel, were honored for their “beautiful new building” at 324 N. Elm. Ms. Spencer credited her “sidekick” for his support and he in turn expressed his gratitude to “a lot of support from the citizens.”
– The Residential Preservation Award went to Ron and Connie Bosler for major renovations to the home at 638 N. Main Street dating to 1871 that once was sold for $4,500 at the courthouse in 1898.
Martin noted that the Boslers purchased the house without every seeing the interior.
Connie Bosler said the house represents “one of the greatest choices” that she and her husband have made in several business ventures. Her husband undertook many of the improvements in the former residence of Dr. Julian Cole and his family, she said.
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Priest’s Receive the Kentucky B&B Guest
Accommodation of the Year Award 2015
Norris & Mary Elizabeth Priest Celebrate 50 Years of Marriage
1/26/07 – The Gleaner Ode To The L&N
9/25/05 – Guests Dana & Missy
Kudos To Henderson
4/3/04 – The Gleaner
River’s Railroad Cache
10/5/03 – The Gleaner
Thoughtful Hendersonians Saved The Day
9/14/02 – The Gleaner
Stop & Nest Awhile In Peaceful Henderson
9/1/02 – The Tennessean
With A B&B, You Never Meet A Stranger
8/21/01 – Evansville Courier & Press
…Honeymooners Head Over Heels About Henderson
6/17/98 – The Gleaner
A gracious parlor overlooks Main Street. Well-tended antiques complement the ornate fireplace, and a 12-foot ceiling hangs above the polished oak floor. The atmosphere at L&N Bed and Breakfast evokes a time when life possessed a simpler charm. Tempted by the gentle rumble of a passing train, guests at the 100-year-old edifice may feel compelled to peek out the windows, hoping to glimpse past events.
The railroad played an influential role in the building’s history. Built in 1895, the home was first occupied by the Giebels, a family of German Jewish immigrants.
After L&N completed the current railroad bridge in 1932, a railroad employee lived in the home and operated a rooming house. In the 1940s, a teacher (Miss Effie Vaughn) and her sister owned the home and rented rooms. And since the 1960s, it has accommodated gift shops, architects, insurance agents, photographers, and renters.
Norris and Mary Elizabeth Priest (1937-2021) owned the L&N building for about three years before deciding to establish a bed-and-breakfast. Their son, Nibby, a Henderson County Tourism Commission board member, mentioned that the Welcome Center and Chamber of Commerce were receiving inquiries about B&Bs. The Priests and their family, including their son Neal, a contractor and maintenance guru, have put a lot of time and effort into transforming the former residence into a B&B.
Guests at the L&N will find spacious rooms comfortably furnished. The red-brick, two-story Victorian stack house features a dozen rooms, an array of stained-glass windows, decorative fireplaces, and an intricately carved oak staircase. Careful consideration has been given to the furnishings, including family pieces, antiques, and railroad-themed accents. The L&N door knobs are a remnant of the home’s past.
Comfortable, charming, and conveniently located in the heart of downtown Henderson, Kentucky, the L&N Bed and Breakfast is characteristic of southern hospitality.
Norris and Mary Elizabeth Priest were married in Henderson, KY in 1958 and started their married life just across the street from their home now. They celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2008. Norris was raised in Hebbardsville KY, and Mary Elizabeth was raised here in Henderson. They are lifelong residents of this dear community.
Their current residence is located just next door to the L&N Bed and Breakfast in beautiful downtown Henderson.
Norris & Mary Elizabeth Priest, Innkeepers at L&N Bed and Breakfast
In addition to keeping the Inn, Norris is the owner of Vaughn Insurance, also located on North Main Street in which he operates with his oldest son Nibby Priest.
The Priests have two sons, Norris Nisbet “Nibby” Priest (1964) and Neal Thomas Priest (1969) and two grandchildren, River Thomas Priest (1997) and Kally Ann Priest (2001).
Norris is an active member of the Henderson City Lions Club, former board member of the Hugh Edward Sandefur Training Center. Norris is currently a Trustee at Campbellsville University.
Mary Elizabeth is a former board member for the Henderson County YMCA and taught for many years in the third-grade swimming instruction program at the YMCA. She is an active volunteer at the Henderson Answer Center, a local clothing bank.
Norris enjoys magic as a hobby and Mary Elizabeth enjoys swimming and collecting antiques.
A few weeks ago we had the fortune to visit your town on our latest holiday to the U.S. We are gradually visiting all the states and this time John James Audubon brought us to Henderson, but what we found was much more.
We stayed at the very comfortable and hospitable L&N Bed & Breakfast with Mary Elizabeth and Norris Priest. Having found it by chance on the Internet, we were not prepared for the wonderful welcome we received and the excellent breakfast. Norris recommended Rookies for our evening meal, and we were pleased with the food and the service.
Rightly very proud of your town, Mary Elizabeth and Norris encouraged us to do more than just the sculpture walk before we headed onwards to the Audubon museum. What we found was a pleasant array of historic buildings and something familiar to us from home — a Carnegie library (Henderson County Public Library). Both of us work in libraries in the UK, so we made ourselves known to Director Donald Wathen, who was very welcoming and kindly gave us a tour of your interesting library. At a time when we are concerned about the drop in usage of libraries in the UK, it was heartening to see a thriving and busy library. We arrived just as Tai Chi was finishing and a genealogy class in progress. You also provide an amazing range of resources for the size of library.
How we wish we could have stayed longer, but the visit to the museum called and this completed our visit here. What a fantastic museum and the sculptures on the walk are such a wonderful idea.
I hope you print this to show how proud you should be of your hospitality and town and to thank those we met along the way who made our visit happy and memorable.
Julie and David Potton
United Kingdom
(See this letter to the Henderson KY newspaper as it appeared in the Henderson Gleaner on October 30, 2010)
This letter appeared in the Henderson KY newspaper The Gleaner 5/28/10
Editor:
We rode into your town recently on our tandem bicycle on our way from Mobile, Ala., to Owen Sound, Ontario, on the Underground Railroad bike route.
After asking where we could stay downtown near the river, we were directed by the nice folks at your city hall to the L&N Bed and Breakfast. We had dinner at Rookies amid a very friendly crowd of people who were very welcoming and have just finished having breakfast with Mary Elizabeth and Norris Priest.
We just wanted to say what a great place Henderson seems to be and how friendly everyone has been. We are from central New York (think cows, not subways), and this is our second long bike trip. Places like Henderson are what make this such a great country.
In spite of our political and cultural differences, our fellow Americans are wonderful people.
Steve and Carol Mackintosh
From the Henderson Gleaner, Saturday, November 21, 2009
Letters To Henderson Gleaner
Chatauquan impressed by Henderson
Editor: Are there times when Henderson needs a little reminder of what a great community it has? In an age when often only complaints are brought to our attention, this letter will certainly serve as a terrific testimonial of how thankful citizens of Henderson can be for their warm and welcoming hospitality.
I had the fortune of visiting Henderson for the first time in October. I portrayed one of Henderson’s most famous former citizens, Mrs. Lucy Audubon, in a Chautauqua performance for the Friends of the Henderson County Public Library.
I have traveled for several years as a Chautauquan, and I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with the reception I received in Henderson.
Susie Thurman of the Friends of the Library, Norris and Mary Elizabeth Priest of L&N Bed and Breakfast, Alan Gehret of the Audubon Museum, many volunteers for the Friends and the Presbyterian Church, as well as the countless residents of Henderson who came out to see “Lucy” return home, all made my stay extraordinary. There was nothing I had to ask for, no help I needed that wasn’t offered before I even asked.
I was completely overwhelmed with the kindness that was bestowed upon me during my visit. I certainly look forward to returning to Henderson soon!
Kelly O. Brengelman Actress Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua “Lucy Audubon: A Kentucky Love Story”
Copyright © 2009 The Gleaner 11/21/2009
Outside the L&N Bed and Breakfast we are having street construction. Henderson Water and Sewer department are in the process of replacing a main 36” fresh water pipe.
The water and sewer department has a web page giving more details about the project.
The front access to our Bed and Breakfast will be disrupted for the next 2 weeks.
Parking is available on the 4o0 Block of N Main and across the street from the Bed and Breakfast.
We are open and taking reservations and this is just a small inconvenience.
If you are thinking about a reservation give Mary Elizabeth at call at 270.831.1100. Several weeks are booked, get your reservation in now.
Below are a few pictures of the current construction.
There are two indulgences Martin Johnson can’t wait for each summer — attending Ellis Park and staying at the L & N Bed and Breakfast in downtown Henderson KY.
Ellis Park is a horse racing track a short drive across the Ohio River from the city of Henderson, where the L & N Bed and Breakfast is located.
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