Description

When Houston historian Jules Austin discovers a century-old note hidden behind a vintage watercolor map in an antique shop, she uncovers the remarkable story of Amey Ann Lapham. In 1918, Amey, a Newport gentlewoman, boldly purchases the historic Dorset Inn in Vermont and transforms it into more than just a business. She creates a sanctuary where women journalists, suffragists, and educators find respite and community during the transformative years surrounding women’s suffrage.

Through meticulous research spanning property records, personal letters, and historical archives, Jules pieces together Amey’s legacy as an innkeeper who understood that hospitality meant building lasting relationships. As Jules reconstructs the life of this quietly formidable woman who lived deliberately and on her own terms, she discovers that purpose and fulfillment are never constrained by timing. The past speaks, and Jules listens carefully enough to honor it.