County of site: White County
Location of site: 214 E. Main St., Carmi
Historic marker erected by the White County Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society
Marker erected in: 1965
Marker Text: This building was erected in 1828 by James Ratcliff. Nicknamed "Old Beaver" because of his energy, he was a founder of Carmi (1816), an Inn-keeper, merchant, and postmaster, and White County's first clerk, recorder, and probate judge. Abraham Lincoln lodged here in 1840. The Inn was restored in 1960.
"The Ratcliff Inn, built in 1828 by James "Old Beaver" Ratcliff, first White County Clerk/Treasurer. The federalist structure was close to demolition when the White County Historical Society purchased it in 1960 with borrowed funds and rehabilitated the structure. The first floor is currently open for exhibits, while the upstairs served as the Society's first museum. It was placed on the National Register along with the Robinson-Stewart House." - Webb Hay House