FIRST HOTEL in Crystal Lake!
Contributed by: Deana Campbell
Lyman KING owned and operated the first hotel in the village of Crystal Lake.
The KING HOTEL was the grandfather of all hotels.  It was built of logs probably in 1837 or 1838 on Virginia Street, which was the old Indian trail between Fort Dearborn (Chicago) and Wisconsin and along which the new village was platted.  The KING Hotel was a favored stopover of stagecoaches and fur traders.  The exact location of the hostelry was the second lot west from the corner of Pomeroy and Virginia Streets.  In 1842 the building became the polling place for the Virginia Precinct replacing founding father Beman Crandall's residence.

     Before the railroad came to the area in the mid 1850's, the stagecoach was the most important connection with the outside world.  At the KING Hotel horse teams were changed, mail dropped off and picked up, and travelers walked around and refreshed themselves until the driver blew his whistle announcing to all within earshot that it was time to head onward.

     The hotel changed hands along the way and for nearly 70 years the hotel was in business until destroyed by fire in 1904.  The site now is a TACO BELL!  And KING STREET (which was on the original plat as being 2 blocks long) is now one block long.  It is a one way street situated in the oldest section of Crystal Lake.  King links Virgina Street with Lake Avenue running past McCormick Park and St. Thomas Catholic Church and School.  Runs right into the TACO BELL that now stands where the KING Hotel used to be.

King Notes:
Lyman King and his wife were the first persons  to be received by letter-  (May 24, 1839)- into the Baptist Church.
The baptism of their daughter,  Fidelia on Dec. 26, 1840 was the first  recorded by the church. 
It was performed by Rev. Joel Wheeler.