I have often thought about how many people
grow up in the same world they grow old in. In its early history,
this was impossible for those living in Clinton, MI. Settlement of the
site began in 1925 after the building of the Erie Canal. Congress
recognized the need for communication and settlement between Detroit
and Chicago and authorized the construction of a road along what was
then the Sauk Trail. The need to settle southern Michigan was also
recognized and many land grants were sold, sometimes sight unseen, to
settlers mainly in NY state.
When the road, named the Chicago Pike,
was completed, growth increased at a rate that must have been
dizzying. Daily stagecoach services began and were soon doubled, then
increased again. By the end of the 1830s, Clinton was the largest
wholesale distribution center west of Detroit and it was being served
by 10 general stores. To put this in perspective, any child born in
Clinton is unlikely to have had time to become a teenager by this
date.
Alpheus Kies built the first log cabin
in Clinton in 1829. It was on the site of this log cabin that his son-in-law, Alonzo Clark, demolished the Windy Clark building, a sizable structure itself, to make way
for 'The Clintonian' in 1901. Although built in the Italianate style
that had gone out of fashion in 1885, it was a grand structure whose
beauty still impresses today. Indeed, it was an image of the building
that brought this author to visit Clinton in the first place. The
current owners, the Huffakers, bought the building to fulfill a dream
of Amy Huffaker, who passed away in 2015 at the young age of 37. The
original dream was a quaint bed and breakfast up north. However, when
they saw a picture of the Clinton Inn, they were inextricably drawn
to it. They remain dedicated to maintaining its
'Victorian' charm.
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| Original light fixtures |
Clark, a wealthy man, intended The Clinton Inn to be
a monument to himself and his wives (whom he married in succession, not at
the same time!). It boasted high ceilings, a drummer's room for
traveling salesmen to sell their goods, an additional lounge (the exact purpose of which is unknown) a spacious dance floor, five
fireplaces, thirty-five guest rooms, and a corner tower that rose a
full story above the otherwise flat roof. There was also a special
taxi service to take passengers from the train depot to the hotel.
Originally, the building had 2 entrances: one next to the drummer's room and the other that entered into the lobby. It has been suggested
that one was for women, the other for men. It is also possible that
one would be for merchants and the other for hotel guests, but one can
only speculate.
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| The current lobby |
By contrast, The Eagle Tavern belonged to a different world. The first lodging
in Clinton, it was a stagecoach stop built around 1830. It had
no private rooms but instead two halls, one for men the other for
women. Its dance floor, once prized for its 'springiness', had not
been used since the town hall opened in 1876 with its own dance
floor. Indeed, its original purpose was outdated by New Years' Eve
1853 when the railroad was opened and stagecoach service ended. By
the 1920's The Clintonian had electricity and plumbing while it is
doubtful The Eagle Tavern had either. In fact, the citizens of
Clinton were debating whether it should be restored or demolished to
make way for a public park. Its days of housing guests were long
over. For a history of this very interesting building and stagecoach
stops, in general, go
here.
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| The Eagle Tavern before being moved to Greenfield Village by Henry Ford |
Clinton and The Clintonian continued to
change in the twentieth century. By the 1920s, the Chicago road was
paved up to Clinton and automobile tourism was taking off. The nearby
Irish Hills and its roadside attractions increased business at the
Clintonian. In 1928, an 18-seat horseshoe counter was installed. While
the Clintonion has been noted for its good food and dining atmosphere
from its opening till its present, this author is almost grateful
that it was removed a few years later as this feature must have been
a jarring contrast to the architecture of the character and style of
the building. The horseshoe dining counter suggests that diners were
intended to eat, pay, and, leave as soon as possible.
By 1938, the Clintonian was again
hosting grand affairs. The owner, William Richmond, threw his 82nd
birthday party for himself, inviting 75 ladies to the affair.
As recently as 1941, the back yard (now
a parking lot) had a chicken coop that provided fresh meat and eggs
for the kitchen. So, like the Eagle Tavern before it, 'farm to table'
was so commonplace, it did not need a designation.
The fortunes of Clinton and the Clinton
Hotel started changing again in the '60s. The Irish Hills attracted
fewer visitors as I-94 bypassed Clinton and brought other attractions
within reach of
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| The former dance floor |
motorists. In order to keep the business viable, the
building was converted to apartments although the restaurant was
still noted for the quality of its food. Photographic evidence
suggests that it was at this time that the corner entry was bricked
up, leaving only the central entrance in use. Even the unfortunate
dance floor was not safe from the need to maximize profits. It was
converted to apartments with walls that are little better than cardboard
dividing the rooms. Today, only one of these rooms is used, as a
linen closet. No guests are lodged there.
The period can be seen as one of
decline because much of the building's antique charm
was altered, as wood was painted over and cheap furnishings and
appliances were installed. Its fate could have been worse, were it allowed to simply become derelict.
The building's fortunes began to improve in 1980 when an immigrant from Palestine, Isam Rabah, purchased the building and began the labor-intensive task of
restoring the building to its original character. He stripped paint and tar off of wooden surfaces and turned the old drummer's room
from an apartment to a cozy bar. He did all this while managing the
kitchen.
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| The chimes of Clinton |
As testament to the charm of the
building, the community worked together to install the current clock and the 'chimes' in 1986. The local rumor is that 'The
Clinton Bell' was housed in the tower of the Clinton Inn and it was
this bell that residents would hear. However, the 'chimes' have
always been electronic. These chimes fell silent at an unknown date.
Local residents say it might have been as much as 20 years ago, but
reports are conflicting. Whatever the case, the current owners
restored them very early after taking possession of the building in 2019.
Rabah sold the business to Don Limpert
in 1986. Limpert continued to restore the building to its original
appearance. Most notably, he reopened the side entrance and restored the
original door that had been stored in the basement and reopened the
second floor to hotel guests. He attempted to return the original
porcelain numbers to the rooms but could not find number '5', and to
this day there is no room '5' at the Clinton Inn. The basement
continues to yield treasures and lamps. Some of these objects have an unknown purpose. Current ownership will occasionally post these finds to
their
fb page.
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The original door found in the basement by Limpert
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It is
hoped that Clinton will once again become a destination for visitors.
This is a real possibility as there are efforts to restore The Irish
Hills as other attractions have opened directly in Clinton, including a
distillery, an arts center, and a railway museum.
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The fireplace in the drummer's room, currently the cafe. A similar fireplace is in one of the hotel rooms.
|
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| The drummer's room |
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| A detail of the fireplace |
Many thanks to the owners of The Clinton Inn and the Clinton
Historical Society for providing documents and photos for this entry.
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