Dating back to 1832, this historic building stood at the junction of the Chicago Road and the road from Monroe, where Sylvester Walker of Cooperstown, New York, opened a small inn. It soon became a famed stopping place for stagecoaches and the hundreds of pioneer wagons that passed daily, and noted guests including Daniel Webster and James Fenimore Cooper stayed there. The tavern also served as a community center, and in the early days church services were held in its barroom. In 1921 Frederic Hewitt purchased the tavern and restored it as a museum.