Wayne High and Wayne State College both recently held their annual Homecoming celebrations.
Now, celebrating her very own homecoming, Elizabeth King has decided to move back to Wayne, into the home known as “The Brick,” where she lived during her college days along with her sorority sisters in Chi Omega.
King searched for houses in Wayne for over a year, driving two and a half hours to walk through 13 houses on 13 separate occasions.
After going through the signing process on two of the houses, and both not working out, King started to lose hope and shed quite a few tears.
However, God had specific plans in mind for King and her husband, King said.
“The Trinity orchestrated the move,” King said. “God had this in mind all along. We had a journey of 13 months, visited 13 houses and the third time was the charm with this house’s contract. Never in a million years would I have thought we would have had this perfect outcome.”
After signing the contract for the house, located at 303 E. Tenth Street, King immediately reached out to her sorority sisters on Facebook, who all still contact each other often.
WSC recognized this house as the official sorority house for many years, even hosting another sorority, Theta Phi Alpha, for a few years.
King and her sisters reminisced about the days they spent together in the house. In the comment section on Facebook, they told stories of holding meetings in the living room, practicing for Greek Olympics in the yard, initiating new sisters and having to wear shoes in the creepy basement shower.
Every other year since graduating, many of the sisters still come back to Wayne to spend quality time together. King now hopes to host the reunion in the place where it all began.
“Having these women in my life has been an incredible gift,” King said. “Even 40 years later, we are all still friends. I know I have them when things are good and when the chips are down.”
After moving in and settling down, King and her husband hope to transform the home into a bed and breakfast.
Drawing inspiration from the name of their past acreage, the pair wish to name their business “Rose Cottage.” The theme will also utilize special elements from King’s life. At her acreage, lived a sign depicting the Patron Saint Therese and the words “Little Flower of Jesus.” From this, the 1920’s bungalow will be covered in roses. King said her recent research has led her to finding out the home was built in 1927.
She has also traveled across the world, keeping notes of her favorite and least favorite aspects of the various places she has stayed to make the perfect business in Wayne.
King has owned a bed and breakfast previously, running the business for around seven years. Out of her many professions in the fields of journalism, radio, marketing and promotions, King crowned “Miss Lizzie’s Boarding House” as her favorite job.
She feels ecstatic to move back into the Wayne community, calling the move a true homecoming.
“I’m excited to be close to family and back in the community that has always been in my heart,” King said. “People have already stopped by to welcome us home. What a gift to be able to give back to the community that has given us so much.”
