Beehive Guest House

Imagine gently rolling hills that kiss the edges of the great Mississippi River, and you'll be picturing what the early settlers may have seen as they pulled their boats ashore in the early 1800s. By 1837, Alton's founder had plotted out parcels of land and districts on those hills that would be purchased and used for the early citizens' homes, schools, churches, and shops.

One on of those hills, about halfway up its slope, was a small rectangular piece of property that Abraham Lincoln arranged to be sold, and, by 1839, the house that is now being called The Beehive was built. It originally had two rooms downstairs and three up. Only one room has been added since then:

A sunroom now occupies a place across the rear of the house, giving the occupants a soothing view of the river as it pushes its way to the South.

Walking into the front room, which stretches across the width of the house, one will notice the items displayed on the opposite wall, because they represent a myriad of eras, genres, and geographies. A clock and quilt can be seen that were handmade in the late 1800s and accompanied the owner's ancestors as they came by covered wagon from Michigan down to Tennessee, a trip that, back then, took eight weeks to complete.

A desk in the corner was made over a hundred years' ago for students in Belgium to use while in school. Next to it, however, is a photograph rendered only a few years' ago from Washington; and, on the west wall, a rubbing of a horse from St. Paul's in London. On the front wall, just below the window, rests a monk's bench which has a top that can be flipped down for writing or flipped up to sit.

The kitchen, accessed through a half-door, has a wide-planked wooden floor with countertops made from the same tree. White, with splashes of bright yellow and midnight blue, the kitchen area may remind one of a French country cottage. Unusual pieces of china, stoneware, and memorabilia are displayed in the large glass case seen as you enter the kitchen.

On its east end is a full laundry; its west end has a full-sized refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, and tabletop burner. It is stocked with dishes, glassware, cooking utensils, flatware, pots and pans, cleaning supplies and storage containers if you should have leftovers.

Passing through the kitchen and continuing to the rear of the house will bring you to the sunroom, with three walls of windows. A colorful, wrap-around sofa sits in one corner and the other serves as the eating area with a round oak dining table from Holland.

Upstairs are two bedrooms and an adjoining bathroom. The front room, affectionately called the "Asian" room, is decorated in shades of blue. It presents a queen-sized bed, burled walnut wardrobe, and oak dresser. Along its south wall is an antique soju jar, a set of three Korean window frames that form a screen, a silk Thai robe, and a Korean hanbok (native costume).

The other bedroom, dubbed the "Earthtones" room, has a daybed with twin-sized mattress. There is a pop-up trundle bed tucked underneath that will provide a sleeping area for a second person; or, if desired, the two mattresses can be joined together to form a king-sized bed.

In one corner is an antique Chinese bookcase and, in the other, a new armoire. The bathroom, which is nearly as large as each of the bedrooms, has an authentic cast-iron claw-foot tub and a large storage cabinet in the corner.

Modern amenities available at The Beehive include wifi access and a DVD player. There is a monitor that doubles as a T.V. if hooked up to your computer for those of you who get television through the Internet. A telephone is available for use by our guests for all domestic out-going calls.