Country Tea Room
Also known as: Milk Pail Restaurant
Why it's listed
Along Illinois Route 25 in East Dundee stands a wood-frame farmhouse that doubled as a roadside restaurant. The two-story Gabled Ell house, with some Italianate details, was built in the late 1860s as a tenant farmhouse on Increase C. Bosworth's land. In 1926 Max McGraw, who had bought the farm, added a one-story wing for the Country Tea Room. The restaurant was known for chicken and biscuits and drew diners from far away. It operated until 1939, when the building was converted to offices and living quarters. Its significance lies in commerce. New concrete highways, including Route 25, completed in 1929, and rising car ownership created travelers who wanted a welcoming, homelike place to eat. The tea room's success set the pattern for the Milk Pail Restaurant that followed on the farm. The house keeps much of its historic character, though its porch is a 1980s replacement and nearby farm buildings have been heavily altered.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the property is locally significant under Criterion A for commerce as a roadside business of the 1920s and 1930s. It operated as a tea room from 1926 to 1939, when new roads and affordable cars created a new kind of leisure traveler. Its concept also shaped the later Milk Pail Restaurant on the same farm.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 99000164, listed February 25, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 14N630 IL 25, East Dundee |
|---|---|
| County | Kane County |
| Listed | February 25, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000164 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1926 - 1939 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian (Gabled Ell with some Italianate influence) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a retail store from 1987 to 1997; the former tea room dining room was restored to one open room in preparation for a new tenant, and the house received a new roof in 1997. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.04074, -88.25914 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 99000164.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6858003
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.