Walker Tavern

Last updated
Walker Tavern
Walker Tavern Michigan.jpg
USA Michigan location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within the state of Michigan
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Walker Tavern (the United States)
Location11710 U.S. Route 12
Cambridge Township, Michigan
Coordinates 42°03′36″N84°13′30″W / 42.06000°N 84.22500°W / 42.06000; -84.22500
Builtc. 1832
Architectural style Federal
Part of Cambridge Junction Historic State Park
NRHP reference No. 71000404 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 25, 1971
Designated MSHSFebruary 19, 1958 [2]

The Walker Tavern is a historic structure located at 11710 U.S. Route 12 in Cambridge Township in northwesternmost Lenawee County, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan Historic Site on February 19, 1958, and was later the county's first property added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 25, 1971. [1] [2] The structure was incorporated into the Cambridge Junction Historic State Park and continues to serve as a museum and venue for various events. [2]

Contents

History

This structure was built as a modest farmhouse around 1832 by an unknown architect in the style of Federal architecture. It was built at the important intersection of the former Chicago Road (U.S Route 12) and the Monroe Pike (M-50). At some point, Calvin Snell began operating the building as a tavern for travelers along the road. In about 1838, Sylvester and Lucy Walker moved from New York State and likely began leasing the inn and tavern from Snell. In 1842, the Walkers purchased the tavern, renaming it the Walker Tavern. [3] In addition to a tavern, it also served as an inn for travelers from Monroe en route from Detroit to Chicago — a stagecoach trip that once took five days. Famous guests included Daniel Webster and James Fenimore Cooper. [2] The structure served a variety of purposes, including a meeting place for religious and political gatherings. [4]

Walker operated the tavern until about 1853, when he constructed a similar establishment, S. Walker's Hotel, across the street. In 1865, the older Walker Tavern was purchased by Francis A. Dewey. In 1921, Frederic Hewitt purchased the tavern and converted it into a museum. In 1965, the Walker Tavern was sold to the Michigan DNR, and it underwent several alterations during a restoration process. [2] [5]

Description

The Walker Tavern is a two-story frame structure, sided with whitewood clapboard, and located on a low rise of ground. It is framed with hand-hewn white oak timbers about eight inches square. A basement of fieldstone extends under about half the building. The original portion of the tavern measures approximately 36 feet by 18 feet, and three major additions were made to the rear of the original structure, extending its depth. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Bonnet Tavern</span> United States historic place

The Jean Bonnet Tavern, also known as Old Forks Inn and Bonnet's Tavern, is an historic inn and restaurant that is located just outside Bedford, Pennsylvania on U.S. Highway 30, at the junction with Pennsylvania Route 31. It can be seen from the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travelers Rest (Toccoa, Georgia)</span> United States historic place

Travelers Rest State Historic Site is a state-run historic site near Toccoa, Georgia. Its centerpiece is Traveler's Rest, an early tavern and inn. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 29, 1964, for its architecture as a well-preserved 19th-century tavern, and for its role in the early settlement of northeastern Georgia by European Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garfield Farm and Inn Museum</span> United States historic place

The Garfield Farm and Inn Museum is a Registered Historic Place in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The property is a 375-acre (1.52 km2) farmstead, centered on an inn that served teamsters and the nearby community during the 1840s. It is currently a museum offering a variety of educational and entertainment events. The buildings that remain are three original 1840s structures, including the 1842 hay and grain barn, the 1849 horse barn, and the 1846 inn. Various other barns and outbuildings also stand, the last dated to 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Tavern Stand</span> United States historic place

The Whitney Tavern Stand served as an inn and local gathering place in Cascade Township, Michigan for fifty years after its construction in the 1852-53 period. In its first few years it served as a stop for stagecoaches on the lines that, connecting Battle Creek, Hastings, and Kalamazoo with Grand Rapids, passed through Whitneyville. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merrell Tavern</span> United States historic place

The Merrell Tavern, known more recently as the Merrell Inn, is a historic tavern at 1565 Pleasant Street in South Lee, Massachusetts. Built in 1794 as a residence, it has served for most of two centuries as a local traveler's accommodation, and retains fine Federal period architectural details. > It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It continues to serve its historic function, and is now operated as a bed and breakfast inn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inns on the National Road</span> Historic district in Maryland, United States

The Inns on the National Road is a national historic district near Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland. It originally consisted of 11 Maryland inns on the National Road and located in Allegany and Garrett counties. Those that remain stand as the physical remains of the almost-legendary hospitality offered on this well-traveled route to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheldon Inn</span> Historic inn in Michigan, United States

The Sheldon Inn was a two-story apartment building located at 44134 Michigan Avenue, in Sheldon Corners in Canton Township, Michigan. It was built in 1825, and previously used as a single-family home and a travelers' inn. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. It was demolished in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hall's Tavern (Falmouth, Maine)</span> United States historic place

Hall's Tavern, also once known as the Falmouth Tavern, and now the Quaker Tavern B&B and Inn, is an historic tavern at 377 Gray Road in Falmouth, Maine. Built about 1800 as a private home, it served for many years of the 19th century as a traveler accommodation, and is one of Falmouth's few surviving buildings of the period. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenport House (Franklin Township, Michigan)</span> United States historic place

The Bauer Manor, also known as the Davenport House or Davenport Hotel, is a hotel located at 1280 U.S. Route 12 near the unincorporated community of Tipton in Franklin Township in northern Lenawee County, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan State Historic State on May 18, 1971 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 4, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Quinault Lodge</span> United States historic place

The Lake Quinault Lodge is a historic hotel on the southeast shore of Lake Quinault in the Olympic National Forest in Washington, US. The hotel was built in 1926 and designed by Robert Reamer, a Seattle architect, in a rustic style reminiscent of Reamer's work at the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park. It is a notable example of a rustic wilderness lodging, suited to its woodland environment on the southern side of the Olympic Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metamora Crossroads Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Metamora Crossroads Historic District is a historic district centered at the intersection of Oak and High Street in the small village of Metamora in Metamora Township in Lapeer County, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan State Historic Site and also added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 19, 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jed Prouty Tavern and Inn</span> United States historic place

The Jed Prouty Tavern and Inn is an historic building at 57 Main Street in downtown Bucksport, Hancock County, Maine. It was built around 1780 as a two family home and was converted into a tavern and inn around 1820. In this guise it hosted prominent national figures, including Daniel Webster and Presidents Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison. After standing largely vacant in the later 20th century, the building was converted an assisted living facility, and presently serves as a community senior center. it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain William Bull Tavern</span> United States historic place

The Captain William Bull Tavern is a historic inn at 571 Torrington Road in Litchfield, Connecticut. It is part of the Tollgate Hill Inn and Restaurant, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is significant both as an excellent local example of Colonial architecture, and for its role in early architectural preservation efforts in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birchwood Inn</span> United States historic place

The Birchwood Inn is a historic tavern and inn on New Hampshire Route 45 in the center of Temple, New Hampshire. With a construction history dating to the early 19th century, it is an architecturally important example of how traveler accommodations changed in rural New Hampshire in the 19th century. The inn has been identified as "The Birchwood" since 1892, and was the town's only public accommodation for most of the 19th century. The building, still in use as a restaurant and inn, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. In 1981 the inn and surrounding area were used in the filming of the movie Summer, based on an Edith Wharton novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wakefield House</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Wakefield House is a historic house on New Hampshire Route 153 in the Wakefield Corner area of Wakefield, New Hampshire. The 2+12-story wood-frame house is believed to have been built c. 1785, but its exterior styling is mainly Federal in character, dating to the 1820s or later. It was used as an inn on the busy stagecoach route through town in the 19th century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Crockett House</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The John Crockett House, also known as Kenniston's Tavern, is a historic house at 245 Portsmouth Road in Stratham, New Hampshire in the United States. Built about 1760, it is a well-preserved example of Georgian residential architecture. It was operated for a time as a tavern serving travelers on the main road between Portsmouth and Exeter. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falmouth House</span> Historic house in Maine, United States

The Falmouth House is a historic former tavern house at 349 Gray Road in Falmouth, Maine. Built about 1820, it is a well-preserved Federal period tavern building, now converted to private residential use. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenks Tavern</span> United States historic place

The Jenks Tavern, also known historically as the East Rupert Hotel and the Hotel G. Jenks, is a historic public accommodations house at the junction of West Dorset Road with Vermont Routes 315 and 30 in Rupert, Vermont. Built about 1807, it is a well-preserved example of an early 19th-century traveler's accommodation in southern Vermont. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The building is now a private residence, the home of American playwright and author John Nassivera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. Walker's Hotel</span> United States historic place

S. Walker's Hotel, also known as the Brick Walker Tavern, is a former hotel/tavern located at 11705 US-12 in Cambridge Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The hotel is notable for its brick exterior and three-story height - most other surviving early brick tavern/hotel buildings in Michigan are two-story frame structures. The building is currently operated as an event space known as the "Brick Walker Tavern."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botsford Inn</span> United States historic place

The Botsford Inn is a nineteenth century inn and tavern located at 28000 Grand River Avenue in Farmington, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 27, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 State of Michigan (2009). "Walker Tavern" . Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  3. Gladys Saborio (November 2006), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM: S. Walker's Hotel
  4. Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (2010). "About Walker Tavern, Brooklyn" . Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  5. 1 2 William Lowrey (February 10, 1969), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY- NOMINATION FORM: Walker Tavern