Stanley Cash home before renovations in the 1970's
post card of the Inn
old photo
the next pictures are of the inside of the Inn when it was open to the public
the following photos are of the fire taken by Janice Hunt
Historic Inn on the Square will be closing
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
OAKLAND -- A newspaper advertisement about a country inn that was for sale brought Gary and Linda Miller to Oakland in 1986.
As the Millers followed Illinois Route 133 into town, they got their first look at the two-story Colonial-style mansion on the north side of the square. It was love at first sight.
"We looked out and saw it and we knew that was it. We just knew we had to have it," Gary Miller said of their future Inn on the Square. The Millers befriended the inn's owners, Max and Caroline Coon, and ultimately purchased it from them in 1992.
After operating the Inn on the Square for nearly 13 years, the Millers are preparing to say farewell to their beloved bed and breakfast, and tea room. They plan to retire and move to the Quad-Cities area in northwest Illinois to be close to their family.
Today will be the last day that the tea room is open for lunch, the inn's last guests will stay Sunday evening, and an auction of much of the business' contents is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday. The building's new owners, a family, plan to use it as a private residence.
"It's going to be a hard day (today). It will probably take a little while for the shock to set in that it's the last day," Mrs. Miller said. "We have found some very good friends here. It's going to be a sad day when we walk out."
Mrs. Miller said the official announcement about the Inn on the Square's closure has prompted many customers to pay their final visits. She served more than 70 customers for lunch on Thursday, normally a quiet day, and expects a sizable turnout today during Oakland's Garden Faire.
Customers have been browsing through the inn's antique, clothing and gift shops for bargains; having a final lunch accompanied by orange spice tea; and taking poppy seed dressing and fruit bread to go.
"We make that by hand. It's homemade," Miller said of the inn's signature dressing and bread.
Mrs. Miller said one of the hardest things about retiring is knowing how many people are going to miss the inn.
The bed and breakfast has hosted a wide variety of guests, including some from as far away as France, Germany and Japan. The tea room has been the regular location of meetings for the Oakland Lions Club, Oakland Chamber of Commerce and other groups.
Chamber board President Kyle Phillips said as a small town, it is sad for Oakland to lose a business like the Inn on the Square. He added the inn has often hosted guests connected with Eastern Illinois University. He was hopeful another bed and breakfast will open in Oakland, which currently has no other commercial lodging business.
Phillips said the Millers have been active in Oakland and their presence will be missed. "We are sad to see them go. They have been a mainstay here in the community for many years now," Phillips said.
The house that is now the Inn on the Square was occupied from 1878 to 1958 by the Stanley M. Cash family and its descendants. Cash's great nephew, Rolla Foley, purchased the house in 1977 and remodeled it.
Max and Caroline Coon purchased the house in 1986 and opened it as a Country Inn and Tea Room. Before buying the inn, Miller had a background in hotel management and Mrs. Miller worked in bookkeeping.
Miller said the Coons established a good business at the inn and he and his wife have been proud to operate it.
"We have not been disappointed. The inn has been very good to us and so have the customers," he said.
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
OAKLAND -- A newspaper advertisement about a country inn that was for sale brought Gary and Linda Miller to Oakland in 1986.
As the Millers followed Illinois Route 133 into town, they got their first look at the two-story Colonial-style mansion on the north side of the square. It was love at first sight.
"We looked out and saw it and we knew that was it. We just knew we had to have it," Gary Miller said of their future Inn on the Square. The Millers befriended the inn's owners, Max and Caroline Coon, and ultimately purchased it from them in 1992.
After operating the Inn on the Square for nearly 13 years, the Millers are preparing to say farewell to their beloved bed and breakfast, and tea room. They plan to retire and move to the Quad-Cities area in northwest Illinois to be close to their family.
Today will be the last day that the tea room is open for lunch, the inn's last guests will stay Sunday evening, and an auction of much of the business' contents is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday. The building's new owners, a family, plan to use it as a private residence.
"It's going to be a hard day (today). It will probably take a little while for the shock to set in that it's the last day," Mrs. Miller said. "We have found some very good friends here. It's going to be a sad day when we walk out."
Mrs. Miller said the official announcement about the Inn on the Square's closure has prompted many customers to pay their final visits. She served more than 70 customers for lunch on Thursday, normally a quiet day, and expects a sizable turnout today during Oakland's Garden Faire.
Customers have been browsing through the inn's antique, clothing and gift shops for bargains; having a final lunch accompanied by orange spice tea; and taking poppy seed dressing and fruit bread to go.
"We make that by hand. It's homemade," Miller said of the inn's signature dressing and bread.
Mrs. Miller said one of the hardest things about retiring is knowing how many people are going to miss the inn.
The bed and breakfast has hosted a wide variety of guests, including some from as far away as France, Germany and Japan. The tea room has been the regular location of meetings for the Oakland Lions Club, Oakland Chamber of Commerce and other groups.
Chamber board President Kyle Phillips said as a small town, it is sad for Oakland to lose a business like the Inn on the Square. He added the inn has often hosted guests connected with Eastern Illinois University. He was hopeful another bed and breakfast will open in Oakland, which currently has no other commercial lodging business.
Phillips said the Millers have been active in Oakland and their presence will be missed. "We are sad to see them go. They have been a mainstay here in the community for many years now," Phillips said.
The house that is now the Inn on the Square was occupied from 1878 to 1958 by the Stanley M. Cash family and its descendants. Cash's great nephew, Rolla Foley, purchased the house in 1977 and remodeled it.
Max and Caroline Coon purchased the house in 1986 and opened it as a Country Inn and Tea Room. Before buying the inn, Miller had a background in hotel management and Mrs. Miller worked in bookkeeping.
Miller said the Coons established a good business at the inn and he and his wife have been proud to operate it.
"We have not been disappointed. The inn has been very good to us and so have the customers," he said.
Former Inn on the Square destroyed by Saturday blaze
By DAVE FOPAY, Staff Writer
dfopay@jg-tc.com
OAKLAND -- Richard Puski looked up at the charred shell that had been his home and pondered his family’s future.
“We’d just put the house on the market,” he said Sunday morning, explaining his company had transferred him. “I don’t know what we’ll do now.”
Puski had little else to say about the fire that destroyed his house, which most Oakland residents still likely call the Inn on the Square. The historic building that last housed a bed and breakfast before Puski bought it for a residence was destroyed in a fire that started early Saturday afternoon.
Oakland Fire Department Chief John Henry estimated 100,000 gallons of water were poured on the fire from the time departments arrived about 1 p.m. Saturday until they left the scene about 2 a.m. Sunday.
“It’s one of the biggest fire’s Oakland’s had,” he said. “It’s just a shame.”
Henry said an explosion in the building’s basement caused the fire. It blew out the windows of the home’s basement and kitchen and “was felt blocks away,” he said.
An inspector with the State Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the fire until early Sunday morning, Henry added, but the amount of water in the basement and the extent of the damage prevented a cause from being determined.
Henry also said one of Puski’s sons was burned in the fire, but was treated for the injury and was back in Oakland shortly afterward.
The house was engulfed by the time fire crews arrived, so work concentrated on preventing the flames from damaging neighboring buildings, Henry said. The Oakland Christian Church, “not more than 10 feet away” to the building’s west, ended up with only a few roof shingles missing, he noted.
“That was pretty amazing,” Henry said. “It was our main goal: no further damage to any of the buildings around.”
The Oakland department was aided by crews from Charleston, Kansas, Ashmore, Brocton, Newman and Hindsboro. Henry said the city’s water tower was drained within an hour and trucks then went to other towns and to Lake Oakland for water.
“Those guys were priceless,” Henry said of the assisting departments. “Without them, we couldn’t have done it.”
Several people were still mingling around the scene late Sunday morning, looking at the damage to the building that had been a part of Oakland’s city square for more than 100 years.
The bed and breakfast in the building closed in June 2005 after owners Gary and Linda Miller sold it. It first opened as an inn and tea room in 1986.
The house was also a private residence from 1878 to 1958, occupied by the Stanley Cash family and its descendants. A Cash family member bought the house in 1977 and remodeled it.
Published on Sunday, March 25, 2007 10:09 PM CDT
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Inn on the Square: Traveler Reviews
“Wonderful Stay” Apr 29, 2005 - ZuzuMax
Inn on the Square
ZuzuMax 6 contributions
Apr 29, 2005
2/3 found this review helpful
We spent one night at the Inn on the Square and it was great. The room was huge and the rate ($65) was very good. Our room had two double beds and they were very comfortable. Everything was very clean and comfortable. There is a "library" that has a small tv and a few chairs. We spent a lot of time in that room and it was just fine. There is an antique store, a clothing store, and a little gift store (mostly candles) on site. The best part of the stay was the breakfast. It is made by the owner and it was absolutely delicious! We loved the simple touches she added to make it very homey. When we arrived downstairs for breakfast, there was orange juice, honeydew melon, and nut bread waiting for us. The breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs with ham and cheese mixed in, delicious potatoes, and raisin bread. It was all wonderful. The Inn also hosts a brunch on Sundays for the public. Oakland is a very, very small town so there isn't much to do, but that's the beauty of it. You can browse around antique stores and visit the Amish communities, but it is also nice just to relax and read a book in the library or walk around the square. I would definitely stay there again.
• Date of Stay: April 2005
• Member since: March 08, 2005
• I recommend this hotel for: Young singles, Older travelers, Families with teenagers
Oakland Illinois Bed and Breakfast near Museum of Christian Heritage
Inn on the Square
3 Montgomery Street
Oakland, Illinois 61943
United States
217-346-2289
FAX: 217-346-2005
innonsq@avant.net
http://bedandbreakfast.com/bbc/p210688.asp
(Calculated from a total of 5 ratings)
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Welcome to Inn on the Square . . . offering a potpourri of the village experience, we specialize in fine food and a friendly atmosphere. Best of all is the return of bed and breakfast tourism, blending the old with the new, we offer you warm hospitality and simple country pleasures, as well as historical sites, recreational activities, shopping excursions, and plain old 'sittin' and 'rockin.'
Our guest rooms are colonial style and comfortable. Relax in the library with a good book, jig-saw puzzle or the evening news. Wander the village shops around the town square or sit on the large colonial porch of the Inn. Antiques, gifts, flowers, crafts and ladies apparel shops will pique your curiosity, while our tea room offers simple but elegant luncheons and dinners for you and your friends. Open 11 AM- 2 PM, Monday through Saturday and Sunday 11am - 2pm for our Prime Rib Buffet.
The University of Illinois is a short 45 miles north, Eastern Illinois University is a short 20 miles west and Indiana State Univeristy is a short 45 miles east, also an Amish settlement is 15 miles west.
Owner(s): Gary & Linda Miller
Open Since: 1986
We Accept: Visa, Mastercard and Checks
Price Range: US$65 - 65 (US Dollars)
No. of Rooms with Private Bath: 3
Dates Closed, if Any: none
Location: In small town
Amenities: Restaurant on site, In-room or on-deck coffee/tea service, Suites available, Meeting rooms/facilities, Crib available, Children possible, No smoking, Gift shop on site, Private porch, Banquet facilities, Box lunches, Full breakfast, Sitting room/library, Antiques, Television in parlor and Air conditioning
Winter Sports: Snowshoeing, Ice fishing and Cross-country skiing
Sight - Seeing: Amusement park, Historical village/park, Amish community, Historical site/district and Museum
Water Sports: Fishing, Paddleboat rentals and Swimming
Other Sports: Golf
Out In The Town: Crafts and Antique shops/malls
Out In Nature: Hiking trails
Memberships: (* = organization inspected the inn, + = organization is PAAAC approved)
* + Illinois Bed & Breakfast Association
Area Attractions:
Illinois' largest Amish community , Landmark's Museum Complex, Museum of Christian Heritage, Rockome Gardens Amusement Park(Apr-Dec)
These recreational facilities and attractions are all within 20 miles of Inn on the Square.
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