By Metris Batts
Progress is not always about building something new. Sometimes it begins by preserving what already stands, honoring the people whose stories live there, and creating new opportunities for the surrounding community.
That vision guides Sojourn Heritage Accommodations, a Black woman-led heritage hospitality network founded by historian and entrepreneur Kristin Kitchen. Beginning with Six Acres Bed & Breakfast in Cincinnati, Ohio, the network now connects four distinctive properties across three states. Its work brings together preservation, storytelling, cultural heritage tourism, and economic development.
Four Properties, Four Stories
Six Acres Bed & Breakfast in Cincinnati is a historic property that was once part of the Underground Railroad, connecting visitors with stories of freedom and resilience. Built in the 1850s by abolitionist Zebulon Strong, Six Acres carries on the legacy of housing weary travellers, not just from the south now but from all over the globe, inspiring all to take a moment to remember while placing your feet on the actual underground railroad path.
Built in 1937 and 1948, The Dunns-Josephine Hotel, once 2 hotels now combined into one, located in Miami’s Historic Overtown, celebrates the musicians, entertainers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance who came to Miami during the Jim Crow period. Spend a night in the Josephine Baker room, an iconic artist who broke the color line by refusing to perform at the Copa lounge on Miami Beach until they integrated the audience.
Avent on Falls Inn located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina is a newly restored historic property that shares the history of the tobacco industry in the region. Built by the descendants of the Avent family who once owned the China-America Tobacco Company, the new owners choose to also celebrate the enslaved people who were once owned by the Avent family and tilled the fields and fueled their business. The partners, Kristin Kitchen, Melanie Graham, and Metris Batts are welcoming guests and introducing visitors to the area’s history and local attractions.
Morgan and Wells Bed & Breakfast in Shelby, North Carolina, is owned by Melanie Graham and offers its own culturally significant hospitality experience and old world charm. It is located in the birth place of Nina Simone.
History Brought to Life
Our goal is to share the experience of what happens when a historic lodging property becomes a gathering place for learning, arts, and community connection. All of the properties host cultural community events from Farm to Table brunches , which showcase black farmers at Avent on Falls, to Festivals and jazz concerts in the backyards at Six Acres and The Dunns-Josephine Hotel. We are proud of our community connections and strive ensure that wherever we go we make a difference in the communities that we serve.
Six Acres has had the opportunity to host many, many socially and culturally relevant events over its 23 year history. Its record includes a stop on the Juneteenth Freedom Tour, which brought participants exploring Underground Railroad sites to the property. The inn also hosted a fundraiser associated with the Midwest Black Theatre Festival, connecting cultural preservation with performing arts.
Additionally Six Acres Bed & Breakfast offers Underground Railroad educational programs that have introduced students and visitors to the site’s significance. During a Freedom Walk, called “A mile in their Shoes” participants get to actually walk a 1.2 mile trek of the historic route and have an overnight stay at Six Acres Bed and Breakfast. The property has also provided a setting for the Judgement Nite Festival, including a theatrical production drawing upon Black history and ancestral memory.
These are more than just events on a calendar. They demonstrate how historic properties can serve visitors, educators, artists, and community organizations while keeping heritage visible and relevant. Rather than separating hospitality from education, Sojourn Heritage has shown how the two can reinforce each other. A guest may arrive for an overnight stay, a performance, or a tour, but leave with a deeper understanding of Cincinnati’s history and the people who shaped it and its neighboring communities.
Growing Together, Remaining Distinct
Sojourn Heritage’s partnership model does not ask independent properties to surrender their names or identities. Instead, it seeks to strengthen owners through shared experience, professional relationships, visibility, and opportunities for collaboration.
Our future goal is to bring a broader knowledge base of our model of cultural heritage tourism by inviting new affiliate members and new partners. We believe in the idea of Stronger Together. Building a network of hotels and B&Bs focused on sharing our contributions to the communities where we are located has always been our goal. Sharing that history is our mission.
Why? Because black history is American History.
Preparing for the future by preserving the past means keeping our history alive, strengthening independent ownership, as well as building more opportunities for communities to tell their own stories.
The organization is looking to expand its brand and help other independently owned properties grow. Sojourn Heritage Accommodations is looking at multiple locations throughout the southeast to blend history and heritage into hospitality.
