Rose Hotel (Illinois)

The Rose Hotel (Illinois) is a historic site owned by the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located in Elizabethtown, Illinois, on the banks of the Ohio River. The oldest wing of the hotel was built about 1830, with additions built about 1848 and 1866. The hotel is currently leased by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to a private-sector operator who maintains the structure as a bed and breakfast. The exterior is restored to its 1866 appearance.

Frontier taverns

The American frontier lacked an adequate infrastructure for the shelter and hospitality of travelers. Many states and territories, including Illinois, tried to deal with this problem by merging the right to sell whiskey by the drink with the duty to provide beds for travelers.

A frontier establishment that sold whiskey by the drink and provided lodging services was called a tavern. The oldest wing of the Rose Hotel was operated as a frontier Ohio River tavern in the 1830s. It is believed to have been built by James McFarland (1776-1837), and was known as the McFarland Tavern or McFarlan Tavern.

The Elizabethtown tavern was aimed at river flatboats and light cargo vessels passing up and down the Ohio River. Prior to the invention of the railroad, rivers like the Ohio were the primary routes for the transportation of mixed and package freight throughout the North American interior.

External links

* [http://www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/rose_hotel.htm Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]
* [http://www.rosehotelbb.com/ Rose Hotel]