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BeaufortLifestyle.com | January 2026 25the Civil War, it functioned as a Union hospital recovery building, and it withstood the catastrophic Sea Islands hurricane in 1893. By 1986, the house stood empty. That year, a New York couple visiting Beaufort for the first time pedaled past the property on a bike tour. Already in love with the little city, Steve and Marianne Harrison decided to purchase the building and turn it into an inn. %u201cThey got it for a song,%u201d says son John Harrison, the current innkeeper and owner. %u201cThey stayed in a back room while they expanded the inn from its original five rooms to 10 rooms. Later, dad built a two-bedroom home %u2014 the Newcastle House %u2014 which is now part of the inn.%u201d From the start, the Rhett House Inn was woven into the fabric of Beaufort life. Harrison recalls that his father, as innkeeper, became a notary public and officiated countless weddings, and his parents regularly opened the doors for special events. %u201cThey always encouraged their guests to engage with the locals, because many guests become locals,%u201d he says. %u201cIt happens.%u201d Harrison himself grew up in Wilton, Connecticut, and on Manhattan%u2019s West Side. Despite a successful career in real estate and the music industry, he and his wife, Mimi Morrison of Yemassee, South Carolina, decided in early 2020 that they were ready for a change. %u201cWe had two children by then, and the pandemic had just started,%u201d he remembers. %u201cWe knew it was time to come here. We%u2019re the stewards of this place. It%u2019s been in my family for 40 years, and I%u2019m carrying the torch.%u201d Like his parents, Harrison is dedicated to bringing guests and locals together for memorable occasions. Not only are the Rhett House Inn%u2019s breakfasts, Sunday brunches, and evening cocktail gatherings open to the public, it also hosts oyster roasts, Kentucky Derby parties, pop-up holiday dining events, and even short film screenings in partnership with the Beaufort International Film Festival. %u201cWe love bringing locals to our grounds,%u201d Harrison says, adding that the invitation-only event with Bauerlein and Rowland was a great fit for the inn. To put the event together, he partnered with accomplished film producer (and Beaufort High School graduate) Brooke Brunson, who worked on the docuseries Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty, which premiered on HBO Max in 2022. %u201cBrooke brought the whole thing together,%u201d he explains. %u201cShe knew Val, and she%u2019d known my parents forever, so she came to me. We knew it could draw hundreds of people, but we kept it low-key.%u201d The gathering reflected a longstanding Beaufort tradition: opening doors, sharing stories, and allowing history to surface through conversation. The invitation list was intentionally curated, bringing together individuals who had played meaningful roles in Bauerlein%u2019s reporting and research, as well as select community leaders and longtime Lowcountry residents. For Bauerlein, the evening was a welcome return to a city she%u2019d grown to love and appreciate. %u201cBeaufort is the epicenter of my book in so many ways,%u201d she says.Brooke Brunson and John MonkDave Tantlinger, Starr Carr, Beverly Brent Cooper and Mary Martha Greene Cook, Kieth Cook, and Patrick Carr Larry Rowland and film producer Joel Silver