We love telling this story to couples touring the property for the first time. This 1877 manor did not start out where it stands today. It began its life in downtown Prescott, and the journey it took to reach Willow Creek Road is part of what makes this place feel special.
The manor was built in 1877 on the grounds of a Methodist church on Summit Street in downtown Prescott. It served as a pastor’s residence before housing Sunday school rooms, a maternity hospital, and later a bordello. In 1962, the building was moved to Willow Creek Road, preserving its original woodwork and stained glass window.
The History of the Manor at Willow Creek Inn
Most people assume a building this old has always stood in one spot. That is rarely true, and this manor is a perfect example of a structure with a past more layered than it first appears.
Where The Manor Originally Stood
The building was constructed in 1877 on the grounds of the Methodist church on Summit Street in downtown Prescott. It served as the pastor’s residence for years. Over time, the space took on several roles. It housed Sunday school rooms, later became a lying-in hospital where babies were born, and during the wild west era it even operated as a bordello. We know that last detail surprises people, but it is part of the honest history we like sharing.
Why The Manor Was Never A Church
We want to clear up a common misunderstanding right away. This manor was never a church itself. It sat on church grounds and served the pastor who lived there, but the structure was a residence, not a place of worship.
This distinction matters because so many people hear “1877” and “Methodist church property” and assume the building was a sanctified space with pews and a pulpit. It was not. It was a home first, then a functional space that adapted to what the community needed, from education to healthcare to something far less proper during Prescott’s rowdier years.
The Move From Summit Street To Willow Creek Road
By 1962, the structure was relocated from Summit Street to its current location at 2516 Willow Creek Road.
We try to picture what that move must have looked like, an entire Victorian manor split and transported across town before being carefully reassembled. It speaks to how much people valued preserving this building rather than tearing it down. That decision decades ago is the reason Willow Creek Inn exists today.
What Remains From The Original 1877 Structure
We always point out the details that survived the relocation, because they connect every wedding held here back to the building’s earliest days. The original woodwork throughout the manor has been preserved with care, giving the space a warmth new construction cannot replicate.
Above the front entrance, a single stained glass window remains from the original structure, carefully preserved through the 1962 move. It casts a warm, jewel toned glow near the doorway, and photographers consistently tell us it is one of their favorite spots to capture couples arriving for their big day.
How History Shapes The Experience At Willow Creek Inn
We think what makes Willow Creek Inn different from a generic banquet hall is that every corner carries a story. You are not just booking a pretty backdrop. You are hosting your wedding inside a building that has quietly witnessed over a century of Prescott’s history, from church grounds to a family home to its current life as a place where couples begin their own chapter.
Nancy Bewley, our third generation wedding hostess, often shares these details during a couple’s first walkthrough. We have watched brides light up when they learn the stained glass window above the entrance is original, or that the manor made a two piece journey across town decades before their ceremony was planned.
The two acres of garden property surrounding the manor today feel like a natural extension of that same care. Willow Creek Inn blends historically iconic architecture with a garden setting built for modern celebrations, and that combination is exactly why so many couples choose to say their vows here.
Conclusion
Every time we walk through Willow Creek Inn, we are reminded that this manor’s story did not end when it was built in 1877, and it did not end when it made that move to Willow Creek Road in 1962. It continues with every couple who chooses to celebrate here, adding their own chapter to a building that has already lived so many lives. When you plan your own day here, you become part of that same story.
FAQs
Was the manor originally a church?
No. The manor was the pastor’s residence on the grounds of the Methodist church on Summit Street, not a church building itself.
When was the manor moved to its current location?
The structure was moved in two pieces in 1962 from Summit Street to 2516 Willow Creek Road.
What original features have survived from 1877?
The original woodwork and a single stained glass window above the front entrance have been preserved since 1877.
What other uses did the building have over the years?
It housed Sunday school rooms, served as a laying hospital, and operated as a bordello during Prescott’s Wild West era.
