Hays House 1857 Restaurant & Tavern, Council Grove
Address:
112 W. Main, Council Grove, KS 66846 [map this location]
Phone:
620.767.5911
Website:
www.hayshouse.com
Photo credit Dan Doerge.
Main room at Hays House. Photo credit Dan Doerge.
Pan-fried chicken. Photo credit Dan Doerge.
Famous strawberry pie. Photo credit Dan Doerge.
Photo credit Dan Doerge.
(Council Grove, population 2,253)
Open Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Saturday 6 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sunday 6 a.m.-8 p.m. (breakfast buffet 7-11 a.m., lunch buffet 11 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Open Monday, Memorial Day through Labor Day
Friday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Saturday 6 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sunday 6 a.m.-8 p.m. (breakfast buffet 7-11 a.m., lunch buffet 11 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Open Monday, Memorial Day through Labor Day
The
Hays House Historic Restaurant and Tavern is a finalist because it is the oldest continuously-operating
restaurant west of the Mississippi River.
First opened in 1857 because of its location on the Santa Fe Trail, you can enjoy fine dining in the oldest, continuously operated restaurant west of the Mississippi River. It's a steak house that earns patrons' raves about its award-winning Chicken Fried Steak, Fried Chicken, Brisket, Ham, Pasta, and Seafood dishes. Some of its specialties include Fresh Strawberry and Peach Pies, and its own Homemade Ice Cream.
Seth Hays, town founder, and great-grandson of Daniel Boone, built a log store in 1847, and a decade later (1857) built this structure. The primary customers then were travelers along the Santa Fe Trail. This was the main trade route to Mexico. Hays had obtained license to trade with the Indians and Mexicans.
ORIGINAL STRUCTURE
The original
structure of the Hays House was a gathering place for meals but additionally it was a district court, a mail distribution center, a popular tavern, home to bawdy
theatricals, and on Sundays a sheet was used to cover the liquor bottles so that
church services could be held here. Both Jesse James and General Custer are
said to have consumed adult beverages here. The original bar that they would
have bellied up to is now located in the Cellar.
THE CELLAR
The Cellar was
originally a root cellar with a dirt floor. It was here that perishable foods
were kept as cold as possible with meat hung on hooks from the hand-hewn
beams. Native stone, and an earlier type of mortar make up the walls. The bricks that now cover the floor are stamped as made in
Coffeyville and had been relocated from their original place on Main
Street. The Cellar is now a popular gathering place for banquets and meetings.
1886 FIRE
In 1886 the
structure caught on fire. As the story goes, because it was their popular
tavern, the locals rallied to form a bucket brigade to successfully extinguish
the fire. Only the gabled roof was claimed by the fire. The original burnt
hardwood beams from that fire have now been placed in their original proximity
and can be observed in the Seth Room, adjacent to the modern day Tavern. In the
Seth Room, one wall also shows the hand-split Cottonwood lathe without its
plaster covering.
Sometime after, the fire damaged gabled roof was replaced with a flat roof, and 10 hotel rooms were constructed on the second floor. These hotel rooms were available for let until the mid-1940's. The claw foot bathtub that all hotel guests shared is still located in the ladies restroom.
HELEN AND CHARLIE JUDD
In 1974-75, Helen
and Charlie Judd retired from teaching school in California to return to Council
Grove, where Helen was raised, and to inherit the estate of Helen's wealthy
grandparents, the Whitings. The Whitings purchased the building in 1911; they
leased the restaurant to various operators over the years. The Crystal Room
upstairs contains many of the family's personal collection of amazing crystal,
antique dining table, and turn-of-the-century ladies accessories. Helen remarks
that her grandmother was a very proper woman; so Helen continues to exchange the
display of her grandmother's hats, handbags, shoes, and scarves with those her
grandmother would have deemed appropriate for the given
season.
RECENT OWNERS
The Judd's sold many
of the estate's assets to finance the remodeling of the Hays House which they
then ran until 1988, when they sold the business to Rick and Alisa Paul. In
2002, the Paul's sold the Hays House to investors Galen and Lori Fink and
Bill & Debbie Miller. In November 2004, well-known manager Dan Doerge was
hired to run the operation. The Hays House now continues the tradition of
serving up fine foods and hospitality in this National Historic Landmark
structure.
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS
This same historical
structure is now also showcase to several interesting, one-of-a-kind collections
including arrowheads, historical pictures, amazing antique crystal,
turn-of-the-century ladies accessories, a White Buffalo, and more. Local,
regional, and national artwork is also displayed and is available for
sale.
Thanks to Dan Doerge for supplying the information.
978 Arapaho Rd
Inman, KS 67546
Phone: 620-585-2374
Phone: 620-585-2374