Pontheolla Mack Abernathy

Pontheolla Mack Abernathy has built a career around a single guiding passion: people. Long before she became an innkeeper, she cut her professional teeth in broadcasting, beginning in 1980 with an NPR affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina, and later stepping into a news director role at stations in Charleston. Her path eventually led her to World Space in Washington, D.C., where the demands of frequent international travel exposed her to different cultures and hospitality customs — most notably in South Africa, where she absorbed a philosophy of mutual exchange between host and guest that would later define her approach to innkeeping. A University of South Carolina Journalism School alumni where she was active in campus groups such as Carolina Alive and NABJ, she carried the storytelling instincts of her broadcasting years into every chapter that followed. In August 2013, Pontheolla turned a long-held ambition into reality when she opened Clevedale Historic Inn and Gardens (also known as Clevedale Inn) in Spartanburg, South Carolina, following an extensive renovation of a property that had sat vacant for years. Nestled on the last four acres of what was once a 440-acre farm, the estate traces its roots back to 1798 and had remained in the Cleveland family before Pontheolla took on its care. As the only bed and breakfast in Spartanburg County, Clevedale under her leadership grew well beyond overnight stays, expanding into a sought-after venue for weddings, reunions, corporate retreats, and gatherings of every kind. She filled the property with global influences gathered during her broadcasting career, curated local artwork throughout the inn, and introduced distinctive touches — including a restored 1947 Southern Railway caboose added during the pandemic — that have kept guests returning and word-of-mouth referrals flowing. Beyond the inn's grounds, Pontheolla remains deeply invested in the fabric of her community, serving on the Spartanburg Vision Plan 3.0 Steering Committee, the Ballet Spartanburg Board of Trustees, and holding a seat on the One Spartanburg Inc Executive Committee. She hosts monthly Porch Talk gatherings that reflect her belief in hospitality as a relational, two-way practice rather than a simple transaction, and she continues to greet every guest personally, treating each visit as a shared experience rather than a service rendered. Recognized for her contributions to hospitality and community life, she is slated to be featured in an upcoming 2026 edition of Influential Women magazine — a fitting tribute to a woman who transformed decades of storytelling and travel into a legacy of history, heart, and Southern welcome.