Red Rooster Inn

Lodging and food have been provided at this location since John Rutledge first opened the Rutledge Tiger Inn in 1825, when Hillsboro was just two years old. The inn was a wooden frame structure that served as a tavern and hotel. Rates that Mr. Rutledge could charge were set by the County Commissioners and included no more than 37-1/2 cents for a pint of whiskey, brandy or wine, and 12-1/2 cent for a quart of cider. Lodging could be not more than 12-1/2 cents per person per night and this was also the fee for stabling a horse. 

Two frame additions had been added to the inn by 1851, when John M. Hagee purchased it and re-named it Hagee House. This tavern/hotel was the one that Abraham Lincoln would have passed by after departing the train depot which was located to the north down what was then the Taylorville Road. He micht have sat on the tavern’s porch to chat with guests and townspeople. 

Part of the current brick structure replaced the Hagee House, which was cut into three sections and moved, to be used as private residences. Two remain and are in use as single family dwellings, at 719 Jefferson St. and 530 W. Summer St. The third section was at 423 W. Tremont St. and was torn down some years ago. Hotel Hillsboro was built in 1902 and other brick additions were built as needed over the years. 

Hotel Hillsboro was owned and operated by others over the coming years. Mrs. Otillia Brinton purchased the hotel and she and members of her family operate it for over 70 years. Mary Virginia (Brinton) Imle operated the hotel for 40 plus years, and it was during her tenure that the name was changed to the Red Rooster Inn. Later, competition with hotel chains and few guests caused financial setbacks and a deteriorating physical condition. 

The building stood empty for some time befoe John and Kendra Wright purchased the hotel in 2017 and over the next five years poured their hearts and finances to meticulously restore the entire structure. Today, the Historic Red Rooster Inn includes 13 hotel rooms, two suites, six apartments, bar/tap room restaurant, outdoor beer garden, and a state-of-the-art brewery and distillery. 

Local historians believe that the original iron hitching post on the west lawn of the Red Rooster Inn was located there during the time of the Hagee House. It’s quite possible that horses pulling Abraham Lincoln's carriage were secured to that post.

Location