The Basiliere's became new owners of this historical estate in 2013 and they have dedicated countless hours and true passion to bringing this piece of history back to its original beauty and elegance!

They are also very dedicated in making each and every guest feel like they are welcome, feel at home and provide them with a wonderful relaxing stay!

A Full Breakfast is served each morning and the coffee is their very own blend, locally roasted and ground fresh each morning. Tea and Coffee are also available in the library in the evenings.

As a better alternative to the hotel chains, we always take pride in our personal service, attentiveness, and genuine concern for the comfort of our guests. Relaxing hospitality awaits you in our home away from home! Let us also be your first choice for small meetings and gatherings: this intimate setting is perfect for everything from boutique weddings, vacations, class reunions, family reunions and guest accomodations for weddings in the area! 

The Black Swan Inn is located on the former Peabody Brown Estate in Tilton, NH. This Estate was home to Arthur S. Brown inventor of Tilton Woven Endless Belts which got the attention of Henry Ford and were later used in his Model T's. Friends and visitors include Harry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Thomas Edison. The historical significance of this property can be appreciated in the magnificent condition and ingenuity still present in this original Industrial Age home. Even the formal gardens and Arboretum have the touch of the Olmstead brothers who were famous for creating Central Park in New York City. Come visit us today and go back to history as it was.

The Endless Belt Story

In the Tilton Belt building in 1912, Arthur S. Brown commenced production of the first Seamless, continuous woven drive belt. This technological innovation powered American industry for the next century.

Arthur S. Brown was a young telegrapher for the Boston and Maine Railroad when he arrived in Tilton a few years before the turn of the century. He fell in love with a local woman, Belle Peabody, whom he married in 1898, and became associated with Tilton Woolen through his wife’s family connections. In 1912, Mr. Brown opened his own company and began the production of endless belts for use in automobiles. The fortunes of Mr. Brown and his company would be forever changed by his Yankee ingenuity and the ingenuity of his employees.

Ludovic Shiatte went to work for Mr. Brown in 1916 as a shop worker and eventually advanced to the position of overseer and plant superintendent. In 1922, Mr. Shiatte began work on the design of an endless belt that would have no stretch to it. He collaborated with Mr. Brown and the company’s bookkeeper, Gertrude Knapp, in connection with his design and the culmination of their work was the endless power transmission belt described in United States Patent No. 1,545,206, which issued on July 7, 1925.The endless power transmission belt of Patent No. 1,545,206 was manufactured by forming a loop having a desired size from a strand of twine, string or yarn and then winding another strand of string or yarn around the loop until the body of the belt was built up to the desired size. The key to this winding operation was to maintain a constant tension on the strand being wrapped around the loop so that the entire body of the belt would be under uniform tension. Once fully wound, the body was wrapped with a tape covering and stitched together in a certain manner in order to obtain the desired shape

Our guests are treated to a home cooked breakfast each morning that starts with our own locally roasted and freshly ground coffee each morning, our specialty teas, fresh fruit and homemade apple coffee cake or home made donuts. Our guests then have their tastebuds tantelized by either our delicious omelets, hawaiian egss benedict, blueberry pancakes, waffles or our signature Creme Brulee French toast with real maple syrup! Yum!!  Our own home made frittatas which are made with local eggs will surely tempt any one of our guest for a treat that is out of this world.. Not to mention our bacon, ham or sausage served up as a delectable side dish!!

For our vegetarian and vegan guests we also provide dishes that can accomodate their needs! We also have a delicious coconut pancakes and other gluten free choices for our gluten free guests.