About Your Hosts

Mark and Sheila are from Buffalo, NY, but Mark grew up on Neville Island (yep. an Island on the Ohio River, west of Pittsburgh, PA). His career in pediatric critical care medicine and research brought him to Buffalo over 30 years ago. That move enabled him to meet Sheila. Sheila had grown up in South Buffalo and had worked her way through a couple of college degrees to settle upon Cardiovascular Perfusion.

Mark, being a "science geek"’ at heart and his endless fascination with the natural world around us has flamed his joy and love of cooking and creating dishes. Sheila has always had a natural comfort with animals and maybe that’s why they seem to be drawn to her.

So with dreams of a lifestyle change, they found and fell in love with The Great Tree Inn Bed & Breakfast. They see it as a way to share these passions with others.

In April of 1816 William T Howell (1788-1872) and his wife Betsey Lindsley (1796-1880), both originally of New Haven Connecticut, moved from Durham NY to Chautauqua County and purchased a portion of Lot 41 from the Holland Land Survey. They build their log cabin, began clearing the land for their farm and made it their home. In 1820 they built a larger home, began what would become our large barn and over the following years had 9 children. During these times WT Howell became active in the early community here during the founding of Mayville. First Trustee of Mayville Academy, the Superintendent of Poor, held office of the coroner, Mayville’s Representative at the Anti-Masonic Convention, even helping to build the first courthouse.

Our home (which would become the Great Tree Inn Bed & Breakfast) was built in 1850 by William TA Howell (1827-1901) and his wife Catherine Bass (1835-1916). They had one child, Mary Howell (1856-1883). WTA Howell grew the farm, and the barn became larger. WTA Howell and his brother James Howell (1832-1910) built two steamships on lake Chautauqua, providing passenger transport between Mayville and Jamestown in the 1850s. WTA Howell also became the Commissioner of Navigation for Chautauqua Lake in 1893.

In 1916, after the death of Catherine Howell, Adelbert B Swetland (1864-1931) and his wife Ellen Hemeline (1862-1931) purchased the property. AB Swetland became the president of the New York Guernsey Breeders Association having developed a Guernsey farm on this land. It was around this time that AB Swetland added the addition and enlarged the home. Also, during this time Milton Beck (1913-1986) became a hired hand on the farm.

And in 1938 Milton Beck purchased the property and along with his wife Edith Brace (1908-1980). They raised their family, became well known, liked, and active in the local community. ‘Beck’s Farm’ grew into a dairy farm and the barn expanded to its current size. Two of the Beck’s children still live in the area and are our neighbors and friends who regale us with stores of life growing up on the farm. 

The 1990’s saw a transition from a family farm to a Bed & Breakfast and horse farm, first becoming the Hob Nobin Inn then the Farmington Inn in the late 1990’s. The barn was reconfigured with horse stalls, but sadly, during this time some property was sold off leaving us with 32 acres currently. In 2000 a personal residence addition to the home was added on, and the name was changed yet again, this time to The Great Tree Inn Bed & Breakfast. Paying homage to our grand Black Locust tree growing next to the home.