About Us

James V. Gale built the first home in Oregon, Illinois in 1835. As part of the Northwest Territory settlement, settlers from the East were moving West creating communities and small towns like Oregon along the way. One of Oregon’s early settlers was William Moore. In the mid 1840's, he along with his wife and six children traveled from Pennsylvania to settle in Oregon.

His home, which is now the front portion of the Inn, was constructed of brick, and consisted of four large rooms with a central staircase. This architectural style has become known as Greek Revival. In 1848 Mr. Moore opened and operated a grocery store, later he established the first hotel for our city. According to the 1850 census Mr. Moore is listed as an Innkeeper and on the front page of Oregon’s first newspaper published in 1851, the Inn is listed as "Moore's Hotel".

It was during this early period that Abraham Lincoln played an important part in Northern Illinois history. Lincoln traveled and spent time here before becoming President. It was during the mid 1850's that Mr. Lincoln visited the "Moore Hotel" for lunch and lodging.

During its' life the Inn has experienced various owners and names, including: Moore Hotel, Oregon House, Rock River House and The Blackhawk Hotel. Mike and Jean McNamara and Ron Bry purchased what was then known as The Blackhawk Hotel and lovingly remodeled it for 11 years, opening as The Patchwork Inn in 1999. They transformed a 30 bedroom 3 bathroom boarding house into what you see today. In 2009 the Inn was purchased by Patchwork Vision LLC (dba Patchwork Inn) in partnership with the Illinois Renewable Energy Association (IREA). It is the continued goal of the Inn to incorporate Casual Elegance with Environmentally Friendly practices and products. From our organic cotton and bamboo linens and towels to earth friendly cleaning products, the Patchwork Inn strives for sustainability as well as Casual Elegence and comfort for you.