Stacy's Tavern Museum

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places!

Stacy's Tavern Museum is an award-winning restoration of an authentic 1840's wayside inn which is owned by the Village of Glen Ellyn and operated by the Glen Ellyn Historical Society. It stands in its original location on Geneva Road. The tavern was built by Moses Stacy and his wife Joanna in 1846. The construction was mainly wood on a foundation of native boulders. The building was acquired by the Village in 1968. Restoration began in 1971. The museum is open today through the join efforts of the Village of Glen Ellyn and the Historical Society. Visitors will see what life was like in the 1840's, for the Stacy family and for their guests. 

The Stacy's son, Philo, remembered:

"In the early days, my father operated a sort of tavern for the land-seekers and travelers, charging them fifty cents for supper, lodging, and breakfast, and two horses to hay. It took several days to go from Stacy's Tavern to Chicago. Farmers with their products and settlers heading west were welcomed."

As St. Charles road was improved, stagecoaches could make the trip, carrying mail and passengers. The first stagecoach in this area was Dr. Temple's, which made the trip from Chicago to Galena tri-weekly. Passengers paid five to six cents per mile. Fresh relays of horses waited at taverns along the way. The coaches traveled at the rate of six miles per hour with four horses as a team. Stagecoaches accommodated 9 - 12 passengers with mail carried on the flat tops of the coaches.

Located at 557 Geneva Road, the museum is open for docent-led tours by appointment only from Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tours must be scheduled in advance, and are approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour long.

Admission is $5.00 for adults; $3.00 for students ages 6 - 17; children 5 & under are free.

You can pay admission with cash at the museum when you arrive for a tour, or pay with a credit card at our gift shop at 800 N Main St.

Tours for Boy and Girl Scouts include an activity, time permitting. Admission is $3 per scout, with two adult leaders admitted at no charge. Additional adults are $5.00 each. Extra activities can be scheduled for Scouts and school groups; there may be an additional charge.​

Tours can also be arranged for children as part of a birthday party celebration. 

Group tours scheduled outside normal museum hours are a minimum of $25.

To schedule a tour, call 630-469-1867 or email director@gehs.org. 

Non-flash photography is permitted in the museum.