Wade’s ‘Best of Brown County Experience’

The Brown County Chamber of Commerce announced the winners of this year’s “Best of Brown County” awards earlier this year. The Best of Brown County was created to celebrate all that Brown County has to offer including food and drink destinations, live entertainment, and local historic sites. Over the next several weeks, Wade Linville (editor of The News Democrat, The Ripley Bee, and The Brown County Press) will be visiting each of the locations that earned a “Best of Brown County Award” and writing about his experience. This is part eight of Wade’s “Best of Brown County” Experience featuring Brown County’s 2022 Best Lodging, The Bailey House Bed and Breakfast in Georgetown.

An overnight stay in the Bailey House Bed and Breakfast in Georgetown will get you more than just a bed and a breakfast, but also a lesson in Georgetown’s rich history. It’s the history of the Bailey House that makes it a special destination for an overnight stay, and its rich history is among the reasons why it was selected as the winner of the Brown County Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 “Best of Brown County” Lodging Award.

Georgetown is well known for being the boyhood home of the 18th U.S. President and Civil War General, Ulysses S. Grant, and Grant used to often play in the Bailey House as a child when the home was owned by Dr. George Bailey and his family who built the home.

Dr. George Bailey and his family were close family friends of the Grants.

The Bailey House is currently owned by Nancy Purdy and her husband Stan Purdy.

Nancy Purdy has lived in the Bailey House her entire life, and is filled with knowledge on the history of the Bailey House. Her family acquired the Bailey House in the 1870s.

“Ulysses (Grant) was here all the time growing up,” Nancy Purdy said of the history of the Bailey House.

“Dr. Bailey’s son, Bart, went to West Point and flunked out, and Grant took his place. If Bart had not have gone and flunked out, Grant would have never gone (to West Point). So, that’s an important part of history,” Nancy Purdy explained the history of the Bailey House and Ulysses S. Grant. “When Grant went to West Point he said his mother didn’t cry but Mrs. Bailey did. They were really good friends. They wrote more than 100 letters between the two of them.”

The Bailey House Bed and Breakfast gets stellar reviews from those who have stayed there. It holds an excellent 5.0 rating on tripadvisor.com.

“Top notch hospitality! Nancy was so kind and hospitable! The bed was comfortable and the room was beautifully decorated with antiques. Breakfast was amazing,” said one satisfied Bailey House customer of Vermont.

Many have described their stay at the Bailey House Bed and Breakfast as “romantic” and “peaceful.”

The Bailey House, built in the 1830s, has been a bed and breakfast since 1994.

“I always wanted to try the bed and breakfast,” said Nancy Purdy, explaining how her family decided on what to do with the large, historic home in Georgetown.

“We gave it a try and we’ve not stopped,” she added.

It started as a bed and breakfast in 1994 with Nancy Purdy and her sister Jane as owners, but in 1999 Nancy Purdy and Stan Purdy took over ownership of the Bailey House Bed and Breakfast after purchasing her sister’s share.

Stay at the Bailey House Bed and Breakfast and also take a tour of the nearby historic Boyhood Home of Ulysses S. Grant.

Nancy Purdy said many of those who have stayed at the Bailey House Bed and Breakfast return to stay again.

“People keep coming back,” she said.

Sometimes they come to visit family members of Brown County, and other times it could be a 4-H judge looking for a comfortable place to stay while they work an event taking place in Brown County. Regardless of why they choose to stay at the Bailey House Bed and Breakfast, their stay is always a pleasant one.

Contact the Bailey House Bed and Breakfast at (937) 378-3087 or online at baileyhousebandb.com. You can also visit the Bailey House Bed and Breakfast on Facebook.