Keystone Inn owners, left to right: Stephen, Christine, and Patrick
Gettysburg, the county seat of Adams County, is 39 miles from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s capital city. US News & World Report voted Gettysburg one of the best small towns in America, attracting nearly one million visitors yearly. Within convenient driving distance from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC, Gettysburg is a significant draw for destination travelers. Numerous cultural attractions tell a story that could appeal to African Americans. The Battle of Gettysburg is one. Many African Americans have yet to learn the complete story of this bloodiest battle on American soil. The Union army’s defeat of the Confederates weakened them, which was pivotal to the Confederates subsequently losing the Civil War and slavery’s end. The Thirteenth Amendment emancipated all enslaved people, wherever they were in the country, resulting in freedom for nearly four million people of African descent. Know our history. Know our story.
Fast forward to modern times, and history-making in Gettysburg continues. However, this time it’s within the hospitality industry. African American siblings Stephen, Christine, and Patrick Campbell are the first Blacks to own a Gettysburg B&B. They purchased Keystone Inn in August 2020, during the height of the pandemic. Clayton Reaser built the historic property in 1913; he was a Gettysburg furniture manufacturer. Keystone Inn, a magnificent late Victorian house, is situated among other stately homes on Hanover Street, a central route to Lincoln Square, named for President Abraham Lincoln. This commercial area, full of history, is accessible from Keystone Inn by vehicle or walking and includes unique boutiques, diverse restaurants, wineries, breweries, and other great finds.
The search for a B&B that the three siblings could agree on took research within specific geographical ranges. A location between Washington, DC, and Lancaster, PA, would be convenient for all three. The siblings bring to Gettysburg strong portfolios for success. Patrick retired as a global enterprise planner with PayPal. Stephen, who earned a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard, is Lancaster’s Director of Public Works. Christine’s focus is the nonprofit sector; she is a US Department of Housing and Urban Development consultant.
Stephen, Christine, and Patrick recognize that any achievements with their new venture are rooted in legacy. Their parents stressed a commitment to excellence and valued bridge-building across differences. The US Department of Agriculture assigned their father, an agronomist, to Fargo, North Dakota, when he and their mother, a mathematician, were a young couple. Before their arrival, there were two Black families in Fargo. One was an elderly couple. The other was a husband and wife with children. Sometimes Mr. Campbell had to leave Mrs. Campbell and the children in Fargo alone when he traveled for his job. Stephen, the firstborn, remembers those days and the sacrifices for something more significant than the current condition. He was the only Black boy in his classes. Five children out of six were born in Fargo before the family moved to another part of the country where there were few to no Blacks. Moves to communities with limited to no diversity were every 6-8 years. Though Stephen and his five younger siblings participated in school activities and scouts, they also formed their family community, supported each other, excelled academically, and developed friendships. Ultimately, the family relocated to Washington, DC, and their father continued his career with the US Department of Agriculture.
An unwavering strength, determination, and belief in self and each other motivated and inspired Stephen, Christine, and Patrick to purchase Keystone Inn B&B at the height of the COVID pandemic. Yet buying a business that depended on room occupancies could be tricky during a pandemic. The siblings were up for the challenge because they embraced customer care. Making social distancing a priority, they created three breakfast shifts to avoid large gatherings. They enhanced personalized services, providing individualized “home-baked” cookies in the afternoon, packaged with guest names on them. Guests loved the safety procedures. Customer care is a priority during the entire length of a Keystone Inn B&B stay.
Christine explained what sets Keystone apart from other B&Bs she and her brothers visited when deciding what property to purchase. “Gettysburg and its people are inviting. The integrity of the Inn’s architecture and how well the structure appealed to us was important,” she added. Patrick explained some aspects of the renovation process. “Overall, the house showed care. When we renovated, we invested in gathering spaces. Guests started talking with each other in the library, the parlor, and the carriage house. Each element of the home links the past to the present,” Patrick concluded.
The siblings felt integrating the past with the present was necessary. The carriage house has state-of-the-art technology, suitable for meetings and small conferences. Each room in the house has Civil War story themes captured in pictures. For example, the Basil Biggs guest room has a portrait of Basil Biggs and his wife on the wall. Biggs was a free African-American laborer and veterinarian who moved to Gettysburg before the war. Following the Battle of Gettysburg, Biggs had a job unearthing bodies from temporary cemeteries, placing them in coffins, and reburying them. He started an organization later to acquire land for Blacks. His home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. A guest room dedicated to the original owner, Clayton Reaser, includes the bedroom furniture he and his wife used and a picture of them on the wall.
Staying engaged led the Campbells to join three B&B associations, including the local Inns of the Gettysburg Area, the statewide Pennsylvania Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns (PABBI), and the African American Association of Innkeepers International (AAAII). Patrick is a member of the Gettysburg Chamber of Commerce. In addition, the Inn is a member of Destination Gettysburg, the tourism arm of Adams County. Furthermore, the Inn’s breakfast fare includes foods from local orchards, butchers, and dairies.
Stephen, Christine, and Patrick are committed to being a voice in the industry as they integrate best practices into their operations. Whether a single room, suite, family booking, or a girlfriend’s weekend for African American women through Keystone Inn’s partnership with The Patricia Green Group, the Campbells and their team are ready to offer you a memorable experience.
Keystone Inn is at 231 Hanover St., Gettysburg, and online at keystoneinnpa.com. For information on the African American Association of Innkeepers International, visit africanamericaninns.com/index.html.
