The Boreland Springs Hotel was built in 1908 about twenty miles east of Parkersburg, West Virginia, at the site of a mineral spring. After Frank Grimm, the son of the owner, murdered another man, reputedly over a woman in 1918, guests began to report that the hotel was haunted. It was sold in 1932 and reopened in 1934 until 1938 and again reopened from 1940 to 1941, and burned down in 1967. This novel centers around a cross-class romance between the son of the hotel owner and a woman who works there as a housekeeper. “A finely crafted, heartbreaking story set in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. Historically authentic with engaging characters.” – the late Ken Hechler. “Affair at Boreland Springs captures the strength of character, practical ingenuity, and quiet grace of the Appalachian people. Set during the giddy days of the Roaring 20s and plowing headlong into the devastation of the Great Depression, this is an historical novel that could be taken from today's headlines. Ms. Meredith weaves all of these aspects amid a tapestry of love, murder, and intrigue that leaves you captivated by the whole experience.” – Nancy Thomas. The author of this novel, Kay Meredith, was born nearby, and her mother and aunts worked at the hotel.
Willow Spring, North Carolina: Realization Press, Second Edition, 2019. 383 pages. Trade paperback