By Brian Shane

Staff Writer

(Feb. 26, 2026) A Civil War-era property in downtown Snow Hill is set to reopen under new ownership, as a local group of investors plan to redevelop the former River House Inn as a boutique inn, French restaurant, and high-end wedding venue later this year.

“It just needs a lot of love,” said Catherine Casto, one of the partners and a Snow Hill native. “It hasn’t been really updated in a long time. We want to maintain the historic charm of the house and just bring in all the luxury amenities to make it a really nice upscale lodging destination.”

Catherine and her husband Darren Casto are partnering with Jeff and Tammie Faille, founders of The Street Kitchen in Berlin, to take over the 2.15-acre property and rechristen it as the Cypress River Inn & Spa.

She expects they’ll settle on the purchase by the end of the month. Renovations to the main house – a 6,743-square-foot Gothic Revival mansion built in 1864 – are planned over the next few months, with a late spring opening targeted.

Their vision is a 10-room venue anchored by a destination restaurant, helmed by Jeff Faille, a French-trained chef with culinary experience in local restaurants like Fager’s Island and the Atlantic Hotel.

Once they install a commercial kitchen, Faille will open a bistro with daily breakfast and lunch service. On the weekends, he’ll open as Chateau La Mere, offering a French fine dining menu.

While the “spa” part of the venue will start small, Casto plans to grow it into a full-service med spa in a year or two, possibly in its own separate building on the property.

Tammie Fallie already runs the restaurant and catering at Berlin Street Kitchen. She and her husband had talked for years about whether they wanted to open their own B&B as part of their retirement.

Now, Tammie is preparing to take on a new role – as general manager for Cypress River Inn, with her hands in everything from bookkeeping to wedding planning.

“We like the way they run their business and they like the way we run our business, so the partnership is exciting,” she said. “We’re all on the same page. It’s exciting to be able to work with your friends and know their business ethics.”

The future Cypress River Inn could bring dozens of new jobs to Snow Hill. Between lodging, restaurant, and maintenance needs, Casto estimates the operation will need as many as 50 new employees.

Buying and redeveloping the River House Inn wasn’t always the game plan. At first, Chef Faille had simply asked the Castos to partner with him to open a new French eatery.

“I laughed at him,” Casto said. “I said, ‘We are way too busy. I have no interest in running a restaurant. That’s not gonna happen.’”

Not only is Casto a full-time obstetrician-gynecologist, she’s also the site manager for Castle Farm, her family’s other wedding venue she runs with her husband, a master furniture craftsman, and two sons.

Castle Farm sits on 1,800 acres outside Snow Hill, part of the same sprawling tract that’s been in her family for 340 years, beginning with a colonial-era sheepskin land grant.

It was that same link to her lineage that made the opportunity to acquire the inn extra special.

The very next day, Casto learned that the inn would soon be listed for sale. She called back Chef Faille and suggested he pursue the property, as both an inn and a restaurant. His partnership offer stood. “Buy it with us!” he asked. Again, she declined.

Another day passed. Casto was telling an aunt about the River House Inn being listed on the market. The aunt shared a historical connection – a record that proved how an ancestor named Samuel Johnson had once owned the River House Inn property.

“I said, that’s the Samuel Johnson that owned my farm!” she recalled. “I started looking into the history, and called (Jeff) and said – let’s buy it.”

“I wasn’t really planning to own a restaurant and an inn,” she added. “When I knew that history, it really spoke to me. I felt like bringing it back into the Johnson family was just meant to be.”

Restoration will include fixes to historic elements like brick walkways and outdoor spaces while modernizing amenities. Three cottages on site will be upgraded with king beds. Inside, multiple parlors will be converted into a single living area.

Casto is also eager to replace a lost landmark: a towering willow that stood for decades on the banks of the Pocomoke River behind the inn. Felled by a former innkeeper, the tree had long been the locals’ go-to spot for special occasion portraits.

“The first thing I want to do is find the largest willow tree I can,” she said, “and replant it for the town of Snow Hill. When I was in high school, 45 years ago, we would go for our prom photos. Everybody would do engagement photos there. We want to give that back to the town.”