Candlelite Inn B&B is a seven guest room Ludington Bed & Breakfast Foursquare home built in 1905.  The Foursquare became a very popular style beginning in the 1890s, maximizing every inch of space.  Each Foursquare offers four spacious rooms on the main floor, four on the second floor, along with a central dormer,  pyramidal roof, and generally features a wide one story porch. 

Original owners were August Hjalmar Lidberg and his wife Alma.  August was the son of Johan Alfred Lidberg and Carolina Larson. August immigrated from Sweden to the United States in 1893. He became a citizen in 1902, along with his wife, Alma.

August married Alma Pierson on December 5th of 1899, in Kane, Illinois. Alma was the daughter of Per Nilson & Elise Olson. Alma was also native to Sweden.

Here along Ludington Avenue, August and Alma raised three children.  The two sons were Elvin Theodore (1900-1918) and Walter S (1909-1974), along with daughter, Helen Katherine (1910-1976). They were very involved at their church, Emanuel Lutheran, which was established in 1874. Still very active and serving the area today, Emanuel Lutheran Church is very close by at 501 East Danaher.

Daughter Helen was often mentioned in newspaper articles during the 1920s regarding her presence at various social events around Ludington, including various garden and reading parties.  Helen trained as a dental assistant, and later lived in Chicago, Illinois. Helen married David Earl Spore, around 1940, passing away at the age of 66.  The Lidberg family has a burial plot in Ludington's Lakeview Cemetery along Lakeshore Drive.

August was a long time employee as a dye worker and later foreman at Ludington's Star Watch Case Company. Son Walter also followed his father's footsteps, and entered into the same occupation as dye maker, at Ludington's very well known Star Watch Case Company.  Over the years, we have welcomed numerous guests who also grew up working in the company before they closed their doors.

The Star Watch Case Company was a large Ludington manufacturing firm from around 1904, until going out of business in 1982. The company designed and manufactured watch cases for Hamilton, Longines, Gruen, Elgin, and others.  Various watch companies would send their internal watch mechanisms to Star, which would finish the final assembly. The company began making beautiful cases for pocket watches, and later added wrist watches. During World War ll, Star Watch Case Company also manufactured small mechanical parts for military equipment. The etching designs were done on engineered machines made at the company specifically manufactured for the military equipment.

Interestingly,  Astronaut Eugene Cernan wore the Omega Speedmaster Professional watch on a 1972 moon mission.  This watch was then commonly referred to as the "Moonwatch".  The cases for the "Moonwatch" were also manufactured by the Star Watch Case Company. During the Apollo 17th mission, Commander Cernan became the 11th, and as of 2023, is still the "last" man to walk on the moon.

Getting back to Candlelite Inn Bed & Breakfast, over the years the house became home to several other families. We have been fortunate to meet several special guests, whose families lived here in the past. As children, they enjoyed playing hide and seek running up and down the split staircase. The front porch and back side entry were later enclosed during the 1970's. Bathrooms were constructed for each guest room, and the back outdoor stairs, first floor Romantic Retreat Suite, and second floor Ludington & Michigander Rooms were added around 1985.  

The enclosed front porch is utilized mostly year round, and is a popular breakfast and game spot. Candlelite Inn Bed & Breakfast guests enjoy several seating areas, a wide selection of games, puzzles, playing cards and complimentary bottled water and sodas which are always available in the front porch mini frig.

Your Candlelite Innkeeping family walked in back in the fall of 2005, and knew instantly this was their meant to be dream destination.  Candlelite Inn Bed & Breakfast has a very welcoming, comforting feel. From the beginning, our family felt our special guests would enjoy this relaxing vibe as well.  Many updates have been made including paint and furnishings inside and out, new roofing, lots of landscaping including our front pink rose garden, a double waterfall feature, and a second new deck.

Inside, your innkeepers Chris, Kyle and Melanie spend a number of hours each day in the heart of the home, the kitchen.  Besides a premium quality classic candlelit breakfast with a wide variety of choices served when you wish, we enjoy baking yummy morsels daily so that you also can enjoy freshly home made desserts whenever you like.


Candlelite Inn Bed & Breakfast
709 East Ludington Avenue
Ludington, Michigan 49431
(231) 845-8074
Innkeepers: Chris, Kyle and Melanie Barnard
Email [email protected]
www.candleliteinnludington.com