Meet Christal & Ken Doyle
The Stewards of Chesnut Cottage Inn
Once upon a time, two health insurance veterans from California thought their careers would forever revolve around claims, premiums, and corporate boardrooms. Christal spent 20 years climbing the ladder—first in workers’ compensation, then mastering direct sales—before leaping into entrepreneurship and building her own agency specializing in individual, small-group, large-group, and especially Medicare supplement plans. Ken, meanwhile, logged an impressive 37 years as a brand manager for WellPoint Health Networks (a Fortune 50 giant), eventually stepping into senior vice president roles running sales and marketing for a national player in the general agency space.
Then came the plot twist...
Toward the end of his corporate chapter, Ken knew two things with absolute certainty:
- He was completely done with employee benefits.
- He craved something new, exciting, and entirely different.
So, while attending a real estate investors conference in California, the couple caught the fix-and-flip bug. They launched a company on the spot, and the entrepreneurial fire was lit. But Ken also felt another pull: California had been home his whole life, yet after years of business travel across the U.S., he dreamed of a fresh chapter somewhere east of the Mississippi and south of the Mason-Dixon line.
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Fifteen years ago, the search began. Christal and Ken became intentional explorers, visiting cities and states, always making time to tour presidential homes and libraries along the way. On one memorable trip through North and South Carolina, they planned to visit the Woodrow Wilson Home in Columbia. Fate had other plans—the museum was closed for renovations. While Christal stepped across the street to read a historical marker, Ken idled the car, wondering what to do next.
That’s when Mary Sparrow, the second innkeeper and owner of Chesnut Cottage Inn, stepped onto the porch and warmly invited them in.
What started as a polite detour turned into a magical two-hour private tour. Room by room, they soaked in the Civil War-era elegance, the stories, the charm. As they were leaving, Christal turned to Mary and Ken with a playful grin and said, “We don’t own a historic house… but maybe someday we’ll have the chance to buy this one.”
Five years later, after relocating to South Carolina, Christal spotted the listing. A few calls, a few conversations, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, they are the proud third innkeepers of Chesnut Cottage Inn—the only locally owned bed & breakfast remaining in Columbia’s historic district. They traded boardrooms for breakfast tables, spreadsheets for spa tubs, and conference calls for conversations with travelers from around the world. What began as a joke on a front porch became a full-time passion: creating unforgettable guest experiences, sharing stories over gourmet breakfasts, and welcoming every visitor into a home that feels like it’s been waiting for them all along.
Christal and Ken still pinch themselves sometimes. They didn’t just buy a historic house. They bought a living piece of history… and a job that never really feels like work.
Welcome to Chesnut Cottage Inn—where every stay is personal, every breakfast is an event, and every guest leaves with a story of their own.
The Historic Legacy of Chesnut Cottage Inn
Built circa 1850, the Chesnut Cottage Inn once served as the private residence of Mary Boykin Chesnut and her husband, U.S. Senator James Chesnut Jr., during the turbulent years of the Civil War. Mary’s renowned work, A Diary from Dixie, offers a rare and intimate perspective of life during this era and remains one of the most important personal accounts of the war. Her original diary is now preserved at the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina’s Horseshoe.
Today, Chesnut Cottage Inn proudly remains the last locally owned and operated historic inn of its kind in Columbia, SC. The blend of rich history, Southern charm, and modern luxury creates a truly distinctive bed-and-breakfast experience—one our guests consistently cherish.