Woodward Inn owners aim to rebuild after ‘devastating’ fire. Here’s how to help

It’s been nearly one month since a fire ravaged the historic Woodward Inn, and while the damage to the building was substantial, the owners remain optimistic about a rebuild.

Corby and Melissa Stover are lifelong residents of the Penns Valley area and purchased the inn around two and a half years ago with intentions of renovating it into a bed and breakfast. Before that, it had sat vacant for several years.

The inn, located in the 100 block of Mountain Avenue in Haines Township, was built in 1814 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It had been an overnight stopping place that served as a “collection spot and deposit of goods and a gathering spot for area residents,” according to the Centre County Historical Society.

Melissa Stover said the inn’s restoration was mere months away from being completed before the fire. Her daughter, Rebecca Stover, wrote in an email that while the building itself was insured, the many “extensive repairs” that were made to it over the years weren’t.

A flood of support from Penns Valley residents and a GoFundMe started by Melissa Stover’s sister Melody Wright and her husband David Wright have helped motivate the Stovers to begin their restoration again. The GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $10,000 as of Monday.

“Obviously the fire was devastating — we carry our grief and the grief of the community,” Melissa Stover wrote in a text message. “That building means so much to the people in this area. Many people have reached out to encourage us to not give up and try to rebuild. We have decided to push forward.”

Rebecca Stover added that her parents “can’t bear to see [the inn] torn down” and that they feel “the weight of history and the responsibility” to bring the centuries-old building back to life.

The inn’s second restoration will begin with the demolition of all that’s left of the building until only its stone frame remains. Then, the parts of the frame that sustained minor damage will be repaired through sandblasting, with the parts that sustained greater damage being replaced entirely.

That process is estimated to cost around $125,000, which is the target goal of the GoFundMe campaign.

“There has been a heartwarming outpouring of support from the community, with the main concern being ‘how can we help save and restore the original stone structure?’” the Wrights wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Once the stone frame has been repaired, the Stovers will assume the costs of engineering and construction for what remains of the restoration. In a text message, Corby Miller said that will include installing roofing, windows, framing and more — although a timeline for when it would be finished has yet to be determined.

“We have fond memories of [the inn] and we were excited about renovating it into a bed and breakfast,” Melissa Stover wrote. “We are committed to this building so it can be around for another 200 years.”