Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Rose is proprietor of oldest hotel in Illinois.
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ill. (Jan. 10, 1935) — Mrs Sarah Elizabeth Rose daughter of
the late Calvin and Frances Baker was born on the Jim Pruett farm, a short
distance from Elizabethtown on November 5, 1851, being now 83 years and two
months of age. She was one of nine children of whom four, including herself
are now living. They are Morgan Baker of Gallatin County, Mrs Mary Baker
Pearson and Mrs Lucy Baker Wasson of Harrisburg.
In 1854 her father together with three other families moved in Gallatin
County going up the Ohio river to Shawneetown in a flat boat. They settled
on a farm near Shawneetown and the brother, Morgan Baker, still lives in the
house which was built long years ago by his father.
In 1869 she was married to Wiley Rose, a member of one of the oldest pioneer
families of Hardin County. To them were born three children, one of whom
died in infancy. Miss Frances Rose who died in 1914 and Mrs. U. G. Gullett
of Elizabethtown. She has two grandchildren, Mrs Robert Price of Carbondale
and County Judge James Gordon Gullett of Elizabethtown, children of Mr. and
Mrs. Gullett and one great grand child Rose small daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Price.
The house now owned and occupied by Mrs. Rose was built in 1817 by James
McFarland and was never used as a dwelling, but was a taveran, then an inn.
Mrs. Rose bought the house in 1884 and has operated a hotel there ever
since. The Rose Hotel is probably the oldest operating hotel in the state of
Illinois.
Mrs. Rose can trace the history of Hardin County from its earliest beginning
to the present time. She tells us that three men came from the Eastern part
of the United States to this, then far distant western country. Their names
were Hardin, Grandpier and McFarlan. They obtained a tract of land from the
government and settled here. After a while Hardin went away and Granpier
died, but James and Elizabeth McFarlan stayed and from three families we
have Hardin County, Grandpier Creek and McFarlan Precinct and Elizabethtown,
the town getting its name from Elizabeth McFarlan.
Mrs. Rose has an excellent memory and is a most interesting
conversationalist. Her home over-looking the beautiful Ohio river, is one of
the most beautiful sites in Hardin County, and has been a haven for many a
weary traveler who has, no doubt, pleasant memories of the Rose Hotel and
Mrs. Rose.
Thanks to Wanda H. Reed for contributing this article to the Hardin County
ILGenWeb site. The Hardin County Independent first published this article on
Jan. 10, 1935. Webmaster's note: The Rose Hotel, now a state historic site
is believed to have been first built in 1812, not 1817.
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