The Simmons-Bond Inn

Welcome to the Simmons-Bond Inn Bed and Breakfast

The Simmons-Bond Inn was built in 1903 during the Queen Ann Greek Revival. All our rooms are furnished with private baths, in-room gourmet coffee and tea and sweets at turndown. A large complimentary gourmet breakfast is served every morning for our guests on china and crystal. Downstairs parlors and outdoor seating areas are available for relaxation.

Dozens of oak columns decorate the entry and dining area, along with beautiful windows of beveled, stained, and curved glass.

A large complimentary gourmet breakfast is served every morning for our guests on china and crystal. Breakfasts include coddled eggs, apple pancakes, pecan waffles, French toast, grapefruit, cereal, and many other delicious treats. Up to 20 different teas may be on hand at any given time, along with our own special blend of coffee.

Elizabeth Forkey, Innkeeper

Hospitality is provided by innkeeper, Elizabeth Forkey, who not only prepares each room to perfection, but also cooks our famous, multi-course gourmet breakfasts that she serves to guests each morning.

Amenities Include:

• Free wireless hi-speed internet
• Fax service
• Sundeck  
• Common Library  
• Complimentary Drinks   
• Meeting Facilities  
• Common Sitting Rooms 
• Complimentary Breakfast  
• Complimentary Parking 
• Working fireplaces in most rooms
• Pets Not Allowed   
• Innkeeper on Premises
   

Local Attractions

Less than one mile from the inn is the beautiful Toccoa Falls on the campus of Toccoa Falls College. Taller than Niagara Falls, the falls are just a short walk from free parking and a TFC gift shop. Also visit Traveler's Rest, a historic inn that has guided tours for all visitors. One block away is the antique mall where there are restaurants and other stores to shop. For the active guest, bicycle rental, bird watching, boating, canoeing, fishing, golfing, hiking trails, horseback riding, state parks, sailing, swimming, tennis, and whitewater rafting are all nearby. For those seeking a more exciting get-away, Atlanta is less than 2 hours away and features Six Flags, water parks, the Coca-Cola Museum, the Fox Theater, a zoo, and many other attractions.

Perfect for weddings and receptions up to 60 people. Beautiful chapel area has been the choice of many couples looking for the ideal spot for an intimate wedding/reception. Just 1 hour from Atlanta. Catering is available for sitdowns up to 50 and hors d'oevres for 100. Large porch affords overflow space. We also make the most fabulous wedding cakes in Northeast Georgia.

Centenarian in Toccoa

There was a time not so long ago when if you asked someone if they expected to live to be one hundred years old, they would probably laugh at the thought. In 1940, for example, there were only 3,700 Americans aged one hundred or older. By 1990, that figure passed 60,000, and will soon exceed 100,000! We use the term "centenarian" to describe anyone who passes one hundred birthdays or more, and almost eighty per cent of them are female.

But the lady in this story is not a person. We attach a feminine personna to cars and ships, but the grand dame I speak of is a house. Not just any house, of course. She is a twenty room, classical revival, Queen Anne, Victorian masterpiece.

Now known as The Simmons-Bond Inn, the mansion was constructed in 1903 by architect E. Levi Prater, who went on to design many of the great homes in Gainesville and Athens, Georgia. It is said that James B. Simmons, a successful lumber man in Toccoa, wanted to build a mansion outside of town for his wife, Mrs. Antoinette Mosely Simmons, and so commissioned Mr. Prater to draw up the plans. But upon announcing his intentions to his wife, she told him she would not consider moving out of town. She was, after all, very active in the Literary Club, the Garden Club, the Adelphians, and the First Methodist church. The plans having already been purchased, Mr. Simmons decided to squeeze the mansion onto a 100' x 100' city lot, taking almost every inch of it.

Little else is known of Mr. Simmons. But his legacy lives on in the gorgeous quarter-sawn oak panels that line the main floor of the house to this day. The heavy oak pocket doors, flooring, pillars, and grand staircase, are the hallmarks of a lumberman's home. The carved oak newel post, dentalwork, and the nine fireplaces speak not only of his wealth and success, but of his love for wood.
Mrs. Simmons, or "Mamy" as she was called, loved the house. She kept and milked cows out back where the library stands now, and she was a great cook. What is now an oak built-in china cabinet, once served as a pie safe, and was filled with her deserts.

Long before the present-day bed and breakfast opened, Mamy often took in boarders. Ben Cheek, president of First Franklin Financial, was born in the house. She also took in servicemen during World War II. The paratroopers training at Camp Toccoa were entertained by the U. S. O. in tents on the property behind the house. But she was still strong enough to turn them away when they'd had a few too many. Some say the storage room under the grand staircase once served to hide moonshine during prohibition. Mrs. Simmons lived until December of 1954.

The Simmons had two children, Emma, who died of scarlet fever in infancy, and Frances Louise, who would live in the house well into her eighties, and died in 1991.

In 1917, Frances Louise, or "Weezey", married Julius Belton Bond who owned a local furniture store, and her mother insisted they move into the house with her, thus the name "Simmons-Bond". Weezey was also very active in the Methodist church, where they named a Sunday School class after her. She loved to entertain in the huge paneled diningroom with vaulted ceilings and a portico with stained glass and curved glass windows. She served ambrosia, dates stuffed with fondant, and spiced pecans. The same rooms are offered for weddings and parties today.

They too had two daughters, India Simmons Bond (b.1919) and Mary Belton Bond (b.1925), who grew up in the house. Little Mary loved to entertain the guests at the Albermarle Hotel (now Alexander Appts.) accross the street. India married Stephen McLynn "Mac" Gower, Jr., and stayed in the house while he was in the service. He was overseas for two years, but before he left the country, he traveled to the coast by troop train. These trains often had "Pullman" cars with fold-down beds. One night, he woke up by chance as the train passed through Toccoa. He could see the light on in India's bedroom, but he would not see her until after the war.

Mary and India moved out when they married, but their children spent many happy hours there. They would climb the huge magnolias that still stand in the yard and drop twigs on passers-by. Imagine playing hide-and -seek in a twenty room mansion! They recall hanging Christmas stockings on the wide terra cotta fireplace that graces the foyer.

It's hard to say which is more impressive, the abundant ornate woodwork, or the glass. Oh, the glass! The front door is leaded glass, as are the parlor and foyer windows. The dining room has 4 stained glass windows, and upstairs there are 4 oval "spiderweb" leaded glass windows. But the crowning touch is the seven foot stained glass window that lights the grand staircase. There are nine curved glass double-hung windows, including two that are arched!

Some say the house was the first in Toccoa to have running water. One thing is certain - there was only one bathroom. Today every guest room has a private bath, including one behind a secret passage in India's old room.

The new owners have tried to revive the original feel of the house, with wool oriental rugs like those purchased by James and Louise. The dining room has a large, thick, handknotted persian rug identical to those popular in the Victorian era. With the help of countless antiques, you can almost smell Mamy's cakes baking. India's room boasts the oak writing desk once owned by Nelly Bly, America's most famous female journalist. The parlor houses family heirlooms and books dating back to the late eighteenth century. And the original brass chandelliers still hang from twelve foot ceilings.

Even the food served here reminds us of times past. Generous, Multi-course, gourmet breakfasts served on antique china and crystal are included with your night's stay.

Of course, some things have changed for the better. Air conditioning and whole-house heat have been added. The Simmons used coal in the fireplaces. Later, gas fireplaces were an improvement. Today, romantic guests still enjoy real fires in the fireplaces, but for a different kind of warmth!

From Atlanta Airport: Take I-85 north. Merge left onto I-985 toward Gainesville. Take the Toccoa exit and go straight through the light, onto Hwy 17. Turn left at the Janette Jamieson intersection onto Hwy 123. Turn left at the first light (onto Broad St.). Turn right onto Tugalo street. The inn is on your left directly across from the courthouse. Parking lot is accessed through the alley behind the house. To access parking lot: Continue passed the Inn. Turn left onto Sage St. Turn left onto the first driveway.

From I-85 heading South: Exit at the Lavonia/Toccoa exit. Turn left at the light and head toward Toccoa. Stay on Hwy 17 and go through downtown Toccoa (about 20 miles). The Bed and Breakfast is on the right after Hwy 17 has turned into Tugalo Street. To access the parking lot: Turn right passed the Inn onto Alexander St. Turn right onto Savannah Street. Turn right onto Sage Street and right again at the first driveway (right before large brick building).