Metamora Hotels

American House


The American House	Hanson Ross Hanna

The American House

Little is known about the American House. It was thought to have been located at the corner of S. Menard and E. Mt. Vernon Streets. William Christ Insurance is at the location today. Hanson Ross Hanna (1814-1892) and his wife, Levina Ellsbury Hanna (1815-1904) were the owners and operators of this hotel. Thirteen children were born to them: Drusilla 1838, Harvey 1840, Jane 1841, Charlott 1843, Maudy 1844, Mary 1846, Jerome 1848, Alexander 1850, Editha 1852, Alabama 1854,Doni 1855, Juliet 1857 and Albert 1860. The hotel was believed to have burned to the ground. A lady in Missouri sent the photos and information. Editha Hanna was her great grandmother.

John Zimmerman Boarding House

JOHN ZIMMERMAN BOARDING HOUSE

The boarding house was owned and operated in the first Woodford County Jail building at 304 E. Partridge Street. In 1897 the new Woodford County Court House was built and court was moved to Eureka, IL. The sale of the old jail to W. T. West took place in February of 1898 for a price of $750.

John Zimmerman and his wife, Johanna, bought the property from Barbara West, a widow on February 24, 1903 for $1200. The Zimmerman Family operated their home as a boarding house with a tavern next door known as Uncle John’s. John and Johanna Zimmerman are pictured on the front porch with Kate Risson. The jail building stands yet today is privately owned.

Carpenter House


Old Carpenter House	Husband of Mary Frances Carpenter

The Carpenter House

The last hotel to serve salesmen and transients in Metamora was the Carpenter House located on the west side of the village park where BankPlus is today. This hotel closed its doors on October 30, 1930. The Carpenter House hotel was named for Linus and Sarah Carpenter, early pioneers to Metamora. Mr. Carpenter was born in Charton, MA in 1825. He came to Woodford County in 1848. His marriage to Sarah Stoddard took place in 1863. Four children were born to them. In 1880 their daughter, Mary Frances Carpenter, married James Hall, a native of England.

The hotel earned a wide reputation for the excellence of English meals prepared by Mrs. Hall. A bell was rung at noon and 6 pm to announce that the meal was ready to be served. Early patrons were many when most traveled by train to do legal business at the Metamora Court House and needed to stay overnight.

In our 1890 Metamora Directory ad it says “traveling men will find this one of the best country hotels on their rounds”.

Metamora House


Old Metamora House before the porch was built	1866 Metamora House - Lincoln's room

During the mid-1850s there were three hotels surrounding the Village Square and a boarding house nearby. Most notable was the Metamora House located on the corner of Mt. Vernon and Davenport Streets. The Riggert building now standson that lot. The Metamora House faced the north and could be readily seen from the Metamora Court House.

Much has been written about the Metamora House. Mr and Mrs. Thomas B. Speirs (Maria) operated this hotel for 72 years. The front part of the building was built in 1843 by Samuel S. Parke. The building was erected after the county was moved from Versailles to Hanover (now Metamora) to accommodate lawyers and clients to the first session of court. The hotel, not yet completed had to fill the need by laying boards on the joists of the upper story and lay beds on the floors. History reads that the veranda across the front was added during the 1850’s. Sometime in the 1850’s, the back part was added after Mrs. Speirs purchased the property.

Because of the dilapidated appearance of the back of the building and the recent sale of the property, it was razed in 1915. Mrs. Speirs had retired some years earlier. She died in December, 1913 at the age of 92 years in the living quarters of the crumbing old hostelry building.

In the early years when Metamora was one of the important county seats in the central Illinois circuit, Mrs. Speirs extended her hospitality to Lawyer Abraham Lincoln, Judge David Davis, Robert G. Ingersol, Adali Stevenson I and other great men of Illinois who came to serve the legal needs of the community at the Metamora Court House. In those days, the circuit districts were very large and judges and lawyers rode on horseback from one county seat to another. Abraham Lincoln for a number of years rode the eighth judicial circuit and he was often a guest at the hostelry occupying the upstairs room on the left hand side of the veranda. The ceilings and doorways were low and one can imagine that a person of Lincoln’s height would necessarily need to do some ducking in moving through the building. A ladder was used to get to the upper part of the dwelling. It is told that little sleep fell among the assembly as roars of laughter pealed forth now and again as a result of the storytelling of Lincoln.

At razing, the Metamora Herald printed that the front part of the building was found to be sound. This portion was built entirely of hardwood lumber sawed at the Partridge Point mill then located north of Metamora. The studding and rafters were of oak. The weather boarding on the east and west sides were also found to be oak, while the entire north side was covered with black walnut weather boards. The roof was originally shingled with black walnut hand drawn shingles. Some shingles appeared to be original while others had been replaced some years ago. Because of its firm condition, it probably could have been placed on a foundation and stood another three score and ten years.

Next month we will feature the American Hotel and John Zimmerman Boarding House.