Why not make it a bed and breakfast?

Fresco at Mac-O-Chee

I can't begin to count the number of times I've been told that we should turn castles Mac-A-Cheek and Mac-O-Chee into a pair of bed and breakfasts.  Aside from the minor issues of indoor plumbing (or the lack thereof) and very minimal electricity, it seems like a pretty good idea on face value.  I don't really want to spend the rest of my life making coffee and muffins, but I'm sure I could find someone who does. And, yes, providing accommodations for romantic getaways would almost certainly generate more revenue than cultural tourism.
As we enter our 100th year of giving tours it is inevitable that we take a step back and wonder why on earth we are doing this at all.  You have to admit that it's a pretty peculiar situation.  Many family businesses last for only a couple of generations, and those that do last quickly move the place of business out of the living room.  Not us!  I'm the 5th generation Piatt to give tours at the Castles, and rather than move the business out of the living room, we relinquished the living room for the sake of the business.  I can't say exactly why William McCoy decided to open the doors in 1912, but I can reflect on why we keep them open now.  The story we have to tell is both incredibly unique and wonderfully universal.  It is the story of an American family fighting a series of wars and surviving the great depression, and it is also a story of diplomats and poets, soldiers and salesmen, judges and farmers.  Piatt Castles provides an escape from the contemporary into a past that is both familiar and intriguing.  It allows for exploration and contemplation, and it gives us the chance to give back to our community through arts and cultural programming what we could never give back through muffins and coffee.