In 2006, lured by a family legacy, Julian Archer returned home to Arkansas from Des Moines, Iowa, where he was teaching French history at Drake University. Born, raised and educated in Fayetteville, Julian moved back to his family’s 140-acre property on Sassafras Hill, purchased in 1900. The house on the property (which came to be known as Pratt Place) was built in 1895 and at that time was the only house west of the University of Arkansas.

“We returned to convert those buildings into an elegant country inn along the line of great country inns of France,” he said.

The French history expert and his wife Jane, the former owner of a travel company that hosted upscale tours of France and Italy, opened Pratt Place Inn in October 2008. The husband and wife duo of 48 years sunk their hearts, souls and schedules into remodeling the facility – their love for France evident in the décor and the antiques that furnish it. In 2009, after being open less than a year, Pratt Place Inn received an AAA Four Diamond designation, making it only the fourth property in Arkansas and the only one in Northwest Arkansas to earn the designation.

Returning to a region that experiences all four seasons, “especially with a drawn-out fall and spring,” was a welcome change, Julian said. But “what has struck us most upon our return is how cosmopolitan Northwest Arkansas has become,” he said. “One day (with minimal effort) you can attend a performance by an internationally acclaimed artist and the next day take a half-hour drive and be in almost primeval nature. We rarely have spare time since the inn, to be run as a beautifully oiled machine, requires constant attention. We do however, love getting away to float the Buffalo River.”

The biggest payoff to their hard work – beyond booked guest rooms and a diamond rating to boot – comes in knowing that they’ve preserved a piece of Arkansas history for future generations.