History

Originally built in 1874, The Lavender Inn was Ojai’s first schoolhouse. Over the years, it has transitioned from a community center to Ojai Manor Hotel and more recently, Moon’s Nest Inn. The Lavender Inn was renamed in 2003 to reflect the prevalence of lavender being grown in Ojai.  Along the kitchen wall above the stove is the original brick (now painted) that was originally the exterior of the back of the school house.  Lavender Inn was named Landmark #14 and the Mills Act, only the 2nd building in Ojai so far to be awarded this title.

Come feel the history at  the Lavender Inn, and we can share more stories about the history of the building.

Ever looked at a home or establishment and wonder what the history behind it is? The memories the house held, the kinds of people that lived in the intriguing place… The Lavender Inn in Ojai is definitely one of those places. Recently, we at the inn got to take a journey through history and see through a child’s eyes who found refuge, home and love in a place we now call The Lavender Inn.

The story begins with a recent visit to the inn by a now Marion McLemon Newgold… then known as Marion McLemon Drown. Marion was born in 1933 and moved to the inn in 1936, celebrating her third birthday upon her arrival. Marion and her mother escaped from China as refugees and came to live at the inn. Marion’s mother met her father in China. When Marion fled with her mother, her father had to stay behind. The inn was then home to Marion’s grandfather Mr. Alton Lucius Drown, the Mayor of Ojai ( then called Town of Nordhoff) and her grandmother, Gertrude Logan Drown. Alton and Gertrude were married in Santa Paula in 1892. Marion called the inn home until she moved out in 1942, which is the year that Alton died.

There was always live-in help in their home. Gertrude would take young women from the Ventura School for Wayward Girls. Marion says her grandmother would take the girls in and have them work in their home to “put them back on their path”. The girls always lived in room number one. When Marion lived in the house there was linoleum flooring in this room. There were usually one or two girls that occupied the bedroom at a time. Room number one, now called the Topa room, is bright, cheery and very welcoming. It has it’s own bathroom and private balcony. When Marion lived in the house, there was only one large bathroom upstairs that everyone shared.

Room number two, now known as the Craftsman, was Marion’s grandmother’s room. Gertrude was served breakfast in bed everyday and was the matriarch of the house. This room is the same size today, minus the bathroom that was later installed. Marion lived in room number three. It was then blue sans the balcony and bathroom. Room number three is now called the Garden View room that now overlooks the beautiful grounds. Marion remembers how she used to stare out her window at the acacia tree that was rooted where the balcony now is. Marion’s Mom lived in room number four, which is now known as the Lavender Garden room and her grandfather lived in room number seven, which is the largest room upstairs and now called the Romantic Suite. Marion recalled having to go through room number one to get to the screened in “sleeping porch”. The porch reached from the outside of room one to the outside of room seven. When Marion lived at the inn, rooms number five and six didn’t exist. The room that is now the inn’s library was then Mayor Drown’s office and the now Lavender Inn office and guest check-in area used to be their walk-in pantry with drawers for flour and hanging slabs of bacon.

The now beautiful garden had a tank house out back filled with water to help increase the water pressure and push it into the home. The Drowns (grandparents) celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the inn. Marion says the dress that her grandmother wore for the celebration of their wedding anniversary, she later got to wear as a bridesmaid dress. A fun fact about the town: When Marion lived in the town, there was a well-known author named David Lavender.

Marion says when she returned to The Lavender Inn for the first time in decades, she felt “conjunctivity” as she drove in and saw the latticework and the front flower garden. Everything was joining together to remind her of the time she lived there and her grandmother working in their garden. Marion fondly remembers peaking through the kitchen door and sneaking in with her grandfather while her grandmother made donuts. She says they would only get away with sneaking two donuts out of the kitchen before they were caught and their hands were jokingly slapped. Marion says the summers were hot, in fact, she says it was so hot they used to soak their sheets in the bathtub. Their fruit was delivered to the screen porch and they always preserved their own fruits. Marion remembers that the now Wellness center next door used to be their pasture where she kept her horse, Dixie. Dixie would follow Marion to school and wait there until she was ready to walk home. The school was at the end of the street and is now called Chaparral, it was then known as Ojai Elementary. Marion says there was “a lot of love in this house” and we at the inn are happy to report there still is.