The John Bell Library Suite is located downstairs, just adjacent to the Inn’s main entrance.
John Bell is owed a huge debt of gratitude by both present and succeeding generations of Inn at Gray’s Landing owners and guests, as he invested $1.2 million 1986 dollars (equivalent to about $3.5 million in 2021) in The Inn at Gray’s Landing to restore it in elegant fashion. He combined two downstairs rooms into a magnificent ballroom with a stunning crystal chandelier, which functioned as the Inn’s main dining room from 1998 to 2016 when this historic property was operated as a B&B. In addition to numerous other upgrades, he transformed the small room adjacent to the entrance foyer into a spacious parlor, which doubled as a guest reception area and sitting room for early guest arrivals .
The John Bell Suite’s spacious library sitting room contains books and articles about the Town of Windsor and Bertie County. Also included in the collection are books and articles about nearby tourist destinations such as Hope Plantation, the Atlantic Ocean’s spectacular “Outer Banks” beaches and Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Ocracoke Island — the home of Blackbeard the Pirate, The Lost Colony of Roanoke, and the site of the first flight of Orville and Wilbur Wright’s Flyer, which launched the age of powered flight.
Original 1790 fireplaces adorn both the suite’s sitting room and its adjacent bedroom, which features a Victorian-period oak bed, a wing-back chair, a marble-top period dresser, and an armoire. The attached bath features a Victorian soaking tub and a spa shower.
As the entire suite is located on the first floor, these quarters are fully ADA-compliant. This includes the spa shower, which is fully wheelchair-accessible, and features a hand-held shower wand, side jets, and an overhead sunflower-style showerhead.
All doors in this suite are extra wide, ensuring easy access by wheelchairs and persons with disabilities. The library sitting room easily accommodates a single bed, which can be provided at the request of guests who require an assistant.