TRAVERSE CITY, MI -- Situated in the heart of Northern Michigan wine country is Michigan's oldest continually operating hotel.
Opening in the summer of 1869, Old Mission Inn has been attracting visitors to the quiet Michigan retreat for over 150 years.
In the early days, visitors would arrive on steamships that would dock across the field or arrive on horse and buggy. The inn even served as the Old Mission Post office and for years housed a telephone company.
The inn has had some notable guests over the years with the likes of Babe Ruth and Joe Louis, whose signatures appear in the guest register from 1936.
The historic Victorian-styled inn at 18599 Mission Road on Old Mission Peninsula is MLive's Up North House of the Week. The unique property is listed by Ken Weaver with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and is currently on the market for $5,000,000.
"They've really put everything into it, it's in mint condition, all mechanical - everything and they've really done it with historical elements in mind," Weaver said.
Today the fourth owners of the inn, the Jensen family, are looking to pass the torch. Angie and Bruce Jensen purchased the historic property in 1998 with a vision to save and restore it.
A year prior when the property went up for sale, the third owners - believing that the property would be razed by a developer - auctioned off the contents of the inn. Peninsula Township stopped the development plans of the property, saving it from the wrecking ball.
"They even sold the doorbell, everything. The only thing they left us was carpeting and paneling. The place was a 1970s nightmare when we bought it," Angie Jensen said.
In 2000, the Jensens had a surprise visitor: the second owner's daughter, Susanna Reicha (Porter). Susanna shared with them forgotten history of the inn with a treasure trove of historic pictures and the hotel registers dating back to 1902, when her family purchased the property.
For over a decade, they became close friends until her passing and Angie even dedicated her historical book "How Our History Found Us" to her.
That chance encounter nearly 25 years ago helped guide the Jensens' meticulous remodel of the charming inn to its previous splendor.
This was not a simple task, according to Angie, who said over the years they have combed through sites like eBay to find items like a 1906 telephone switchboard and old post office relics that are displayed at the inn.
When the inn was first constructed, it featured 31 bedrooms spread across three levels, a second-level deck, and outhouses for bathrooms.
Over the decades, the inn has transformed into a two-story building with a picturesque wrap-around country porch on the main level. The rooms have decreased in number, but have expanded in size and some have even been converted into suites for a total of 13 rooms and 11 bathrooms.
The inn features a spacious dinning room and an updated commercial kitchen, with the ability to produce hundreds of meals a day.
Sitting on a coveted 10.8-acre property, Weaver believes the property would make the perfect destination for weddings and events. Angie Jensen said they have held weddings, reunions and bachelorette parties in the past, but for a small family-owned business it was a lot of work.
Across the street from the inn is an unobstructed view of Kelley Park and Old Mission Harbor. The DNR-owned and township-managed park is in the process of seeking a grant to construct both a single-lane motorized boat launch and a universally accessible carry-down kayak and canoe launch.
In addition to the inn, the property also features a five-bedroom, two-bathroom home that is steps away from the inn.
The Jensens open the inn to guests in May and close for the season at the end of October. Guests can make reservations on the website.