Peter, president of Summitville Tiles from 1947 to 1990, had no idea what the Spread Eagle had been or would become when he purchased it. His original intent was to use the building as a guest house for visitors to the brick and tile manufacturing firm that has been owned by his family since 1918. "Sumnmitville is in a remote area," explains Peter's son, David Johnson, who took over as president when his father retired. "There was no place nearby to take guests who come here from around the country and around the world. My father's primary objective was to offer accommodations to our business associates." Today, the inn offers rooms and meals to the public as well.

The elder Johnson investigated the history of the Spread Eagle Tavern and launched a two-year project to restore the building. Original windowpanes were retained, sagging floors were replaced with poplar planks and hand-forged square nails. "The rooms were stripped down to the stud walls so we could rewire and replaster," says David. "Every piece of woodwork was removed, numbered, restored, and then replaced." Hand-painted tiles by Summitville, many depicting local historic scenes, were added to fireplaces and bar areas. In the basement, Johnson added a rathskeller with a 12-foot vaulted ceiling made with bricks from a 190-year- old home. The room maintains a year-round temperature of 50 degrees, making it ideal for wine storage.

Johnson also reconstructed a smokehouse, livery, and country kitchen with walk-in fireplace hearth that were demolished earlier in the century. "My dad salvaged weathered beams, siding, handblown window glass, and foundation stones from demolished area barns and incorporated them into the reconstruction of these outbuildings," says David. Walls between the tavern and an adjacent 1820 house were torn down, expanding the dining space.