Your Hosts, Terry & Laurie Musclow
As honeymooners over four decades ago, Terry & Laurie Musclow, native Michiganders, dreamed of hosting a Bed & Breakfast in Northern Michigan.
Recently both left the corporate world behind to pursue their dream when they found the former Gables B&B. After extensive renovations they couldn’t be more excited to share the lovely Victorian lady with you!
History of Secrets on Main
This beautiful Victorian was built in 1892 by Henry Wetmore, a local merchant, banker, farmer and former Mayor of Cheboygan. The home was sold in 1913 to JP & Sarah Och who opened the Gables home for tourists rooms in June of 1924.
From the Cheboygan Democrat newspaper, June 25, 1925:
“Mr. and Mrs. John P. Och have inaugurated a move that we would like to see become general throughout the city and that the project of making proper arrangements for the taking care of summer visitors at their home on south Main Street. Mr. and Mrs. Och have a beautiful and roomy home and the location is very fine, and to throw such a place open to roomers is a very commendable enterprise and one that will no doubt bring them in satisfactory returns. There has always been a great demand for rooms for summer visitors and there have been but few people that have considered throwing their homes open to such people. Petoskey people do it and have so arranged their homes and have furnished and fixed up especially to attract the summer visitor to their gates and we know they have profited by such undertakings. It is possible for Cheboygan to entertain a great many more visitors and doomed them to class servitude during the summer months than it does. As there are sufficient attractions here and the summer life of our community and our city cannot help but appeal to the visitors if they are only encouraged to stay by providing good accommodations for them.
Mr. and Mrs. Och have named their home “the Gables.” Others now should go and do likewise and get in a position to reap a little harvest while it is possible to do so.”
After John Och’s passing, his wife Sarah continued to live in the home and rented rooms to tourists until her death in the late 1950’s. Her daughter then rented the home to Mr. and Mrs. Jenson who continued to rent rooms to tourists.
In November of 1961, Mr. and Mrs. John Corlett purchased the home and maintained it as a boarding house until 1974.
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Cheli purchased the home in 1975. It was used for offices until it was sold to the Counseling Center of Petoskey.
In 1992 Mr. and Mrs. William Campbell purchased and renovated the home and ran it as a Bed & Breakfast.
Eight years later Mr. & Mrs. Churchill purchased the home and in 2014 Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cunningham rented the rooms shortly after purchasing the home.
Terry and Laurie Musclow purchased the home in August 2017 and continue to restore it to the stately Victorian home it once was. Their doors are open to you and invite you to enjoy their warm northern hospitality!