Visit an 1840s Stagecoach Inn

Stacy’s Tavern Museum is an award-winning restoration of an authentic 1840s wayside inn, where visitors can imagine what life was like nearly 200 years ago for the Stacy family who built it and their guests. The building was acquired by the Village in 1968 and restored by the newly founded Glen Ellyn Historical Society.

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.

Parking and Accessibility

Dirt/gravel lot behind the museum available for those with special mobility needs. Paved lot at the History Center recommended for others.
Wheelchair ramp available at the back of the museum. However, there are only stairs to the second floor of the building.