Burwell House Hotel in Gibson City, Illinois (circa 1890)

GRAND OPENING OF THE BURWELL HOUSE

A home thrown open to the "Boys," and the traveling public of which Gibson may justly feel proud.   A host of invited guests from home and abroad partake of a banquet at 6 p.m. this evening prepared by J. R. Lott and wife the genial host and hostess.

Who will always be found pleasant people.

For some months, attention of our home people and visitors from abroad has been directed to the fine brick hotel being erected by Mr. M. T. Burwell, a well-known banker, real estate broker, and wealthy citizen.   The hotel building is 26 x 160 feet, two stories high, and basement, built very completely with every convenience usual to a first class hotel, the whole structure costing about $15,000.  To-day this hotel is opened to the public by Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Lott who formerly kept the St. Nicholas in this city, and who enjoy a wide reputation for keeping a first class hotel, and a hearty patronage in the past, together with their ___ and elegant quarters, insures them a hearty patronage and good wishes from the general public in which we cordially join, and trust they may do well.

THE BUILDING

The Burwell House is nicely located in the center of our beautiful city, with face fronting on Sangamon Avenue and main entrance facing north on Second Street.  The basement is occupied with barber shop and bath room, presided over by Mark Anthony, one of the first settlers of our city, who will be pleased to give hot and cold baths, and attend to the shaving and hair dressing of the guests and the public, his rooms are furnished with open grates, as are nearly all the rooms in the house, being finished in marble, something not usually found in hotels, and something that will be appreciated by the guests.  

In the basement, east of this is the kitchen connected to the dining room above by a dumb waiter, east of this is a wash room, and facing east with a wide entrance is the sample room for travelling men to show their wares.  Off the north of the basement is a wide hallway and to the north of this and under the sidewalk are the coal houses.  Connected with the basement is the inexhaustible tubular well, with force pump and two mammoth cisterns, all of which will furnish an ample supply of pure water for the whole home.  

On the first floor and on the east the large and elegant office is located, where the smiling clerk, Mr. Frank Mears, presides as clerk.  Frank is a new clerk at this hotel, but guests will find that he is not new to the business by any means; he always sleeps with one eye open to accommodate the needs of the public.  

West of the office is the hall leading to the front and rear entrances and off of this you enter the spacious dining room, the wash room, or ascend the grand stair case to the floor above.  There are three exit stairways from above, which would prove admirable in case of fire; the one spoken of, one on the outside leading to the rear and one leading to the front on Sangamon Avenue.  The rest of the first floor is occupied by E. S. Ross' hardware and two elegant offices, one occupied by C. C. Oliver, O. H. Damon, and C. F. Buckman, the other by Hall & Ross headquarters grain office.

The upper story is divided throughout by a hall 160 feet in length, on either side of which are the hotel rooms, large, airy and well lighted.  On this floor are two elegant parlors, also a hall leading to a veranda in front that will seat a hundred people on a summer evening.  

The whole work of making the hotel was calculated to make everything safe, substantial and handy, and we mention here the excellent management of Mr. N. C. Davidson superintendent of the work; he used to be a Kentuckian, but he has worked so long in superintending the building of so many houses for Mr. Burwell and others, and has received so much praise on his Illinois work that he is completely Sucorized, and a citizen and contractor in every way first class.  

The Gibson Iron Works made the door approaches, railings, and over a ton of window weights; D. P. Huffman made the excellent job of plastering; in fact nearly all the work has been done by our own numerous mechanics, and has been well done.  S. A. Armstrong and John Curtis deserve special mention for artistically finishing the papering and painting.

We have taken considerable space in giving the people a birds-eye view of this elegant hotel, and we think deservedly so.  Few places like Gibson, of 2,000 inhabitants, can boast of as good a hotel with furnishings of so neat and useful character.  Mr. Burwell was one of the first settlers in Gibson, the first banker, who has spent years of labor in bringing in capital, building up every interest for the good of the city, and in our mammoth Opera House Block, of which he was builder and is the present owner, this hotel building, as well as other buildings, one may see that his investments here have reached into the thousands of dollars.  He lives at present in Normal, Illinois, where he has one of the finest properties and homes in McLean county, but his interests here are still large, and with his family he thinks there is no place like Gibson.  

Mr. Burwell's new venture in this hotel we trust may be one of his most profitable investments, and the rental of the building, which is now bringing him about $1,400 per year, seems to be quite a handsome sum on the investment, and we are glad of it.

The furnishings of the Burwell House are excellent.  The rooms are carpeted with Brussels, halls and stairways are carpeted, the parlor furnishings are elegant plush suites, and the sleeping rooms are furnished with extra suites, and shows what our furniture dealer, Mr. S. L. Harnit, can do in the way of fitting out a big hotel.

The invitations sent out for the opening banquet are being kindly responded to-day by the arrival of numerous guests, and it is a pleasure to hear them speak well of the appointments of this hotel and our thriving city.  Mr. Burwell arranged for low rates on the L. E. & W. R'y.   Among the arrivals are the following distinguished guests:

From Bloomington: F. M. Andrus, J. W. Law, J. R. Dodge, H. Augustine, Judge Tipton and daughter Miss Belle, Geo. Spencer, wife and two daughters, F. J. Fitzwilliams and daughter, M. T. Burwell and family, Peter Whitmer and wife,

From Paxton: Miss Maria Boggardus

[the rest is cut off]

[Note: portions of this article were nearly illegible and may not have been transcribed correctly.]

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HOTEL OPENING

 

As previously announced, the new Burwell Hotel was formally opened to the public last night by a grand banquet.  The guests were numerous, and everything passed off pleasantly.  The guests from abroad were.

F. M. Andrews,                 Bloomington

H. Augustine,                        "
Judge Tipton,                        "
Miss Belle Tipton,                "
J. A. Clark and wife,             "
Geo. Spencer and wife,         "
F. J. Fitzwilliam and wife,    "
J. H. Light and wife,             "
J. W. Law,                             "
L. C. Hay, Leader,                 "
P. Whitmer,                           "
Wm. Walker,                         "
Owen Scott and wife, Bulletin;
M. T. Burwell and family, Normal,
S. M. Wylie, Paxton
M. H. Cloud,   "
Titus Sudduth and wife, Normal
J. Richmond and wife, Elliott
W. D. Strawn and wife, Risk.

The supper was all that could be desired, and the guests were much pleased with their hospitable entertainment.     

 

Source: Newspapers clippings from the Burwell/Tate Family Papers, 1850-1930 (K0233),  Folder 1. Burwell family scrapbook and photo album, 1879-1908, photocopied.*

*BURWELL-TATE FAMILY PAPERS, 1850-1930 (K0233), The State Historical Society of Missouri, 800 East 51st Street, 306 Miller Nichols Library UMKC, Kansas City, MO 64110.