User:Wnicole/Ye Olde Landmark Inn II

http://www.yeoldelandmarkinn.com History Ye Olde Landmark Inn II is located at Chester, IL. 62233 and is considered a historical landmark for the small town. The Landmark has been a part of Chester since Chester began and the only business that remains in Chester's original business district. The land where Ye Olde Landmark Inn II is currently located was bought back on September 13, 1816 on the main riverfront in Chester. The building of Ye Olde Landmark Inn II was built back in the 1830's. There is an underground tunnel from the basement of the Landmark to the river. Historians say this was part of the underground railroad. Maybe this can't be proven, but I have been in the tunnel and seen the shackels on the wall. There was a second story added to the building in 1892, this was called the St.Louis Flats. The St.Louis Flats were sold and became the Landmark on December 3, 1945. They received the first liquor license, it was issued on February 4, 1946. On November 22,1946 the Herald Tribune advertised the re-opening of the Landmark. This included the addition of food, such as bar-b-que, ribs, fish, plate lunches, and breakfast from 6:30am to 1am. In January 1947 dances continued to make the Landmark very successful. On August 23, 1947 Noah Crowder and Marie Weber bought the Landmark. The still had the dances on the weekends and Marie was well known for her homestyle meals. Marie also had a big candy case there and sold candy for a penny by the bag full. Behind the building she had chickens and a blind horse. The second floor was converted to ten sleeping rooms, which were rented to railroad workers and single men. There was a small fire that charred some of the support beams, and the bar floor. This was replaced with the wooden floor from the Chester grade school. This floor is still the floor in the dining area at this time. As time changed and Chester continued to grow, the riverfront became known as the "Rough" part of town. There was always frequent flooding along the riverfront, most of the local businesses start moving up the hill. Not the Landmark. After several years of being closed the Landmark reopened under the new ownership of Dave and Bonnie Wright and Clifford Wright. They decided to reopen the building as a bar and restaurant named Ye Olde Landmark Inn. In 1981, The southwest corner of the Landmark was damaged by a tornado. While repairing this, Dave and Doc decided to do more renovations. Doc's artistic skills produce the paddleboat picture and the Anheuser Busch window, which are both still beautiful today. After it had been closed about 6 months, Jim and Rosemary Oetting purchased the Landmark on Feb. 18, 1986. It became "The party place to be on the Mississippi". In 1990, the second floor was renovated and became The Captain's Table Restaurant.

References
 * http://www.yeoldelandmarkinn.com
 * http://chesterillinois.com/
 * http://www.randolphcountyheraldtribune.com/