The Secret in Room No. 9


or fifteen years I had carried around an article that I read in Yankee Magazine about The Waybury Inn and the Robert Frost room hoping to someday stay in that room. It finally happened this past June and was everything I imagined it to be and more.


F As I read this excerpt from the Yankee Magazine article


written by Douglas Anderson, I was immediately intrigued by the story. “Nobody remembers when the desk first came to the Waybury Inn. The East Middlebury, Vermont landmark has been in continuous operation since 1810, so it’s a good bet that the desk, with its fold-out writing surface and dozens of small draw- ers and crannies, has been there for decades. For many years the desk sat quietly in the inn’s Room 9, the honeymoon suite. No doubt most newlyweds paid little attention to it, their energy fo- cused on other things. But one couple took the time to explore the quirky antique, and their curiosity was rewarded with the discovery of a slender secret drawer, in plain view though cun- ningly disguised as a bit of fretwork. To commemorate the mo- ment, the bride dashed off a note and inserted it into the secret compartment: ‘June 27, 1987. On this day Julie M. Hughes mar- ried Michael Southwick in Middlebury. VT. We spent our wed- ding night here. We hope you enjoyed your stay here and leave a note, as we have, for others to find in this secret drawer of the grand ol’ desk.’ Thus began the romantic and very quiet tradition of the secret drawer in Room 9. Only those lucky enough to stay in this particular room – and clever enough to discover the se- cret drawer – have been aware of the custom. In time, over 200 eloquent and sometimes deeply personal messages would be left in the room. They now reside in a side table with a fliptop box compartment, waiting to be savored by a new generation of guests. The writing is by turns passionate, philosophical, comic, and profound.”


I thought to myself at the time, “I have to stay in that room


some day and read all these letters.” On a beautiful, late spring day in June, I arrived at the Waybury Inn. The owner, Joe Sutton, told me that not only does the Inn have quite a history due to the secret box, but the Inn was depicted in the Bob Newhart show. In the show, Bob and his wife decide to leave their hectic life in New York City and buy a beautiful inn in Vermont. Show producers thought that the Inn captured the essence of the Vermont experience. The Inn’s accommodations, elegant dining room, casual pub, and beautiful setting continue to make it a popular destination for intimate dinners, family gatherings, wed- dings and receptions of all kind. The Inn sits at the base of the Green Mountain National


Forest, with a nicely paved road that runs in front and slowly climbs the mountain, curving along the Middlebury River and twisting its way through the little village of Ripton. The road trav- els by the Spirit in Nature hiking trails and then past the Robert Frost Interpretive trail before heading up to Middlebury College’s Breadloaf campus, famous for its summer language school. In the winter, the Breadloaf campus is converted into Rikert Ski Center, a beautiful nordic skiing venue, with miles of groomed trails and lots of space for quality snowshoeing. All of this is on a great 15 mile stretch of road which starts


at the Waybury Inn. Anyone with the slightest interest in the great outdoors can stay captivated for days. If hiking, biking, fly fishing, snowshoeing, cross country or downhill skiing are in your area of interest, there is not a better 15 mile stretch to explore.


But let’s get to the reason I was there! As I read through


random handfuls of notes and letters, even a first anniversary card, I was encouraged and delighted to see the promise of new love and the everlasting love between those passing through for anniversaries.


30 Essential Living Maine ~ November/December 2014


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