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
"Erected in 1828 by James Ratcliff, one of the founds of White County and Carmi. Ratcliff was Carmi's first post-master; White County;s first clerk; father-in-law of U.S. Senator John M. Robinson and State Senator Edwin B. Webb, Wig nominee for Governor of Illinois in 1852 and suitor of Mary Todd.
"Structure was stage-coach stop and pioneer inn, where Lincoln lodged in 1840. Purchased and restored by the White County Historical Society in 1960.
"The Ratcliff Inn at Carmi is worthy of National Register nomination because it is an excellent example of the type of stage coach inns that existed in the early and middle 1800's on southern Illinois. It is a good example of Federal style architecture.
"The building has also played an important role in state and national politics." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
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