Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Two and a half years ago I was very upset to learn that the Callis House in Mathews Court House was scheduled to be torn down. I penned my disappointment in this very column. Its demolition represented a historical loss for our community and a personal sadness as my grandfather, J. Eddie Callis, and his team of Mathews men built the house over a century ago.

Fast forward to this past Saturday morning, I sat on my front porch, in another house my grandfather built, and watched as streams of friends, neighbors, visitors and three generations of my own family toured the brand-new Callis House Inn.

I never dreamed that not only would the house be saved, but at the ripe old age of 113, it would majestically grace the street just across from me. As anyone who has had the opportunity to visit the Inn knows, it has been beautifully and lovingly restored, inside and out.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude to all those involved in this herculean feat, including: Preserv...