A Thought to Remember: Highland House Hotel is where Lincoln slept during visit

The Highland House Hotel and Saloon was built in 1854 by Jacob Weber Sr. and his second wife, Maria Elizabeth Suppiger Buchmann Weber. After the death of Jacob Weber Sr., Maria’s brother, Bernhard Suppiger, purchased the hotel. Later, upon Bernhard Suppiger’s death, the building was willed to his daughter, Cecelia Suppiger Menz, in 1911. (The Highland House Hotel of Jacob Weber Sr. was originally my column 340, which I now update).

“The lot where the Highland House Hotel was built was first owned by Elijah Allison or (Ellison) in March 1842.” This date of 1842 was taken from the No. 1 Book of Abstracts, which is at the Louis Latzer Library.

However, on page 35 in the Centennial History of Highland, it says: “During the year 1838, Elijah Ellison built a little log building and started a store on the lot where the three-story, brick Highland House Hotel was located in 1854, just west of the Columbia Hotel.” (It was originally called the Eagle Inn of Anton Buchmann.)

“Elijah Ellison conducted the second general store of Highland, but only for a few years.”

On Page 55 of the centennial book it reads: “Peter Tuffli and his father-in-law, John Laubinger, rented the Ellison building.” (So that they could start the first butcher shop in Highland.)

Later, the butcher shop was moved to a new location, the Ellison store was razed, less than a dozen years after it was built. On this site, Jacob Weber Sr. and his wife erected the three-story, brick Highland House Hotel.

(To verify this I contacted Kathy Kessels of the Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library, she has the No. 1 Book of Abstracts of the Village of Highland in her office.

It does show Jacob Weber purchased the lot in 1854, built the Highland House Hotel and had the hotel until his death in 1888, and then his widow, until 1890. In 1890, her brother (Jacob Weber’s brother-in-law) Bernard A. (B.A.) Suppiger and his wife, Anna Kamm (nee Menzi, now spelled Menz) Suppiger became the owners. They owned the Highland House Hotel until B.A. died in 1911, when he willed the hotel to his daughter, Cecelia Suppiger Menz. (This was Lot 6 in Block 25.)

“B.A. Suppiger’s daughter, Cecelia Suppiger, in 1873, had married Jacob Menz, the great-grandfather of the late Robert (Bob) Menz of Highland.”

The Menz family then owned the hotel, until it was sold in 1971, to make way for the Mr. Drumstick Restaurant. Now, it’s the office of Wells-Fargo adviser Ray Hereford.

Later, another building was added to the north part of the parking lot, Energy Aerobic and Health Studio, at 1006 Walnut. This north building is now vacant.

Bob Menz’s son, Jeff Menz, is the historian of the Menz family and the keeper of the old relatives pictures. He has furnished the picture of the people gathered in back of the Highland House Hotel. Also, the picture of Jacob Weber Sr. used in my original column.

The book The Swiss on Looking Glass Prairie, by Betty Spindler Coats, also lists, “Jacob Weber, Highland Beer Saloon and Highland House.”

The Highland House was the three-story hotel, just across the street, west of the Eagle Inn and Saloon. (Later, it was the Uptown Apartments of Tom J. Steinmann; then it changed to the Eagle Apartments.)

The Highland House will be remembered in history as “the place where Abraham Lincoln slept when he visited Highland in 1858.” There are several versions of this story, but I’ll quote from the centennial book, Pages 90 and 171, and from my Jan. 6, 1971 column.

“Abraham Lincoln visited Highland in September 1858. He had his evening meal at the home of Joseph Suppiger. He then spoke at the Republic House, owned by John Hoffmann Sr., and stayed overnight at the Highland House, owned by Jacob Weber.

“Lincoln and Douglas were debating in much of Illinois. They had a debated at Alton one day, came through Highland the next day and went to Greenville the following day.”

The Centennial History of Highland, on Page 105, says: “A large number from here attended the debate at Alton and many others heard Lincoln speak at Greenville.”

(Quotes for this Highland House Hotel column is from: No. 1 Book of Abstracts at Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library, Gazetteer of Madison County-1866, History of Madison County-1882, Highland Union-1888, Centennial History of Highland-1937, The Swiss on Looking Glass Prairie, sesquicentennial book, Linda and Manfred Driesner’s translation of Jacob Weber’s obituary-1888, Roy Worstell’s Weber family genealogy and my files.)

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 4:16 AM with the headline "A Thought to Remember: Highland House Hotel is where Lincoln slept during visit."