| The Grand Rapids Hotel | |
|---|---|
| Location | Wabash County, IllinoisWabash RiverUnited States |
| Address | Grand Rapids Dam, River Road, Wabash County |
| Opening date | August 7, 1922 |
| Closing date | July 24, 1929 (blowtorch fire) |
| Architect | Frederick Hinde Zimmerman |
| Management | O.L. Rapson & Glenn Goodart |
| Owner | Frederick Hinde Zimmerman |
| Rooms | 36 |
| Parking | River Road |
The Grand Rapids Hotel was a hotel that existed outside of Mount Carmel, Illinois in Wabash County, Illinois, United States in Southern Illinois in the 1920s during a timeperiod that is commonly referred to as the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, and the Golden Twenties. The hotel was located on the Wabash River next to the Grand Rapids Dam. The land the hotel was built on was formerly part of a Piankeshaw Indian summer campground. Frederick Hinde Zimmerman, was the nephew of Captain Charles T. Hinde, built the hotel and it is rumored that it was based on the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. Captain Hinde was a wealthy man who was an investor in the Hotel del Coronado. The Grand Rapids Hotel was the first major hotel in the region and had a nine hole golf course and a baseball diamond on the grounds. During the hotel's operation it was managed by Mr. O.L. Rapson and Mr. Glenn Goodart. Manager Rapson managed the hotel from 1922 until 1924, and Manager Goodart managed the hotel from 1924-1929. Many of the leading social organizations of the time had meetings or other social events at the hotel's restaurant and grounds. In 1929 the hotel burned under mysterious circumstances due to a blowtorch incident involving Manager Goodart. Some people claim that gangsters referred to as the Chicago Outfit associated with Al Capone would take the train from Chicago and stay at the hotel. [1] It is not known if the men were smuggling liquor in violation of Prohibition or merely vacationing.
Currently, the hotel and dam concrete remains are still existing and visible. The front steps of the hotel can be viewed from the river road outside of Mount Carmel, Illinois. In 2011, John Matthew Nolan published a detailed history of the Grand Rapids Hotel.
Contents |
The hotel had two baseball teams during its nine year existence. The first team was the Grand Rapids Steppers and it existed from 1925-1927. The second team was the Mount Carmel Boosters and it only existed during the 1928 season. The baseball teams that the hotel sponsored and managed were very successful and played teams from all around the area. Baseball teams from Hazleton, Vincennes, Grayville, Bicknell, Evansville, Haubstadt Salem, Marion, Benton, Wheatland, Johnson, Sparta played at the baseball diamond on the Grand Rapids Hotel grounds. Mount Carmel baseball legend Don Liddle briefly played for the Grand Rapids Steppers. Both teams were managed by hotel manager Glenn Goodart.
The Grand Rapids Hotel burned to the ground on July 24, 1929 due to a suspicious blowtorch incident involving manager Glenn Goodart. According to newspaper articles, manager Goodart was alone and accidentally burned the hotel by dropping a blowtorch. At the time there were suspicions whether the fire was intentional, but manager Goodart was never prosecuted for arson. Manager Goodart only had one leg due to a train accident. [2] Shortly after the hotel burned down the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred and the hotel was never rebuilt due to a lack of money caused by the Great Depression. Manager Goodart became Finance Commissioner for the City of Mount Carmel, Illinois three months after the Grand Rapids Hotel was destroyed.