The Northfield Inn was built around 1894 at the corner of Shermer and Waukegan roads in unincorporated Northfield Township — hence the name “Northfield Inn”. The inn served as a stop on the two-day trip from Chicago to Milwaukee during the mid-to-late 1890s. In 1901, the Frank Bartelme family purchased the property and moved their business from Chicago to Shermerville, establishing Bartelme’s Northfield Inn as one of the finest restaurants in the county. The carriage trade flocked to Bartelme’s for all you could eat chicken dinners, complete with Mrs. Bartelme’s homemade pastries. A dance pavilion, picnic area and bowling alleys added to the popularity of the Northfield Inn. Until its doors were closed for the last time in 1973, the Inn was a leading social and political center for Shermerville and Northbrook. When the Bartelme property was sold, a deal was made to sell the Inn to the fledgling Northbrook Historical Society for $1.00. And via the financial support given to the project by the community and community-driven organizations, the Historical Society was able to save the Inn. The Northfield Inn was moved to its present location on January 17, 1975.
Many hard working volunteers put in countless hours repairing and remodeling the old Inn. Following this extensive round of restoration, the Northfield Inn was dedicated and opened as the Northbrook History Museum on the weekend of July 4, 1976.
