Clarendon Hills Illinois

Country House of Clarendon Hills

The Country House has its own good-natured spirit who died tragically.

This spirit loves having fun; gently teasing in a favorite way.

Spirits from its rougher days still like to visit and party.

DESCRIPTION

The Country House is a “Relaxed American eatery & bar serving comfort food & half-pound burgers in a quaint house.”
One happy patron said, “Tasty food, good service and cozy atmosphere.”

Outside, the original 1920s vintage authentic design has been restored; a real step back in time; a real country house. In the front of the Country House is a lovely flower garden, with an iron decorative fence on both sides of the cement walk way, leading up to the front door. The walls are plank boards and bricks.

The Country House is a very successful, romantic restaurant and bar, which is located on the first floor, no more a creaky fixer upper opportunity. It is a nice vintage stylish combination of wood board walls and brick, hardwood floors throughout. It is no longer a working class dive, but a lovely renovated restaurant and bar with most of its original charm.

This cozy, upscale interior is well-planned out, and is a delightful, romanic place to have a meal with your significant other! Nice wooden round tables are located in front of a large, stone fireplace, made complete with a bear’s head hanging in the middle. An L shaped bar with big screens on the walls makes it a great place to catch a sports activity.

The second floor isn’t used as a commercial space or even living space; but mostly for storage. It has been stabilized and usable space, but nothing spectacular. There is an office or two for the restaurant and bar.

The brothers’ menu item, the Country Burger, has won acclaim and notoriety for the restaurant. They opened up two other restaurants in Lisle and Geneva.The great popularity of this restaurant and bar kept this business floating along during the COVID restrictions. From 11:30 AM to 9:30 pm weekdays and from 11:30 AM to 11:00 pm on Friday, and Saturday, The Country House was filling carry-out pick up orders. For home deliveries, they use DoorDash.com. Gotta love those burgers: Country Burger, Bison Burger, Turkey Burger, Elk Burger, Top Drawer Burger and Veggie Burger!

Besides their burgers, they offer delicious,Two-Fisted Sandwiches, Seafood, Pastas, Salad, interesting Starters, Chop House, Sides AND a Child Menu.

They are also willing to help in fundraisers. See the information about this on their website: burgerone.com.

HISTORY

The Country House is a two story building, a roadhouse restaurant, built in 1922, the dream of Emil Kobel, who wanted to have a place where the locals could gather for friendly conversation, a bite to eat and a drink of their favorite beer, wine or beverage. The second floor was his family’s home, while the first floor became a tavern and a small grocery store, a convenient place to buy basic food stuffs. His establishment was simply called Kobal’s.

Further inspired, Kobel created a picnic area on the land just east of his roadhouse, a beautiful little park where people could come together and have a meal on the picnic tables or the gazebos, under the shade of the tall pine trees, black walnut and oak trees. needless to say, this place of business

Sometime during Prohibition, the Mob moved into this structure, giving Mr. Kobel an offer he couldn’t refuse, and set up a full sports package with the Speakeasy on the first floor, a brothel on the second floor, and probably card games in the basement. It became a pleasure palace; aimed at people who liked their beer, liked to party, needed sexual relief, and enjoyed gambling in card games. Kobel knew that his customers wanted their drinks, so he decided to agree to the new platform of offerings. Kobel’s family moved out but still owned the place, cooperating with the Mob game plan. Probably by 1932, the mob and the girls were gone and the restaurant became a normal establishment.

In 1957, The Country House was sold to a decorated bomber pilot Richard Montanelli when Mr. Kobel retired. Montanelli, a successful Chicago business man, bought the place for his mother, so she could have her own business, which worked out well for her. The name changed to The Country House. When her health began to fail, The Country House wasn’t kept up to snuff, and became even more in need of sprucing up.

In 1974, The Country House was sold once again, bought by local residents, brothers David and Patrick Regnery, given a quick-fix clean up and kept open to rave reviews by college students in the summer of ’74. In the fall, The Country House was closed for detailed renovation, which was badly needed, but reopened during the summer of 1975, with a new menu, but with the same philosophy; “To be a neighborhood roadhouse where friends can meet for good conversation, a cold drink and a gratifying meal.”

By 1989, David Regnery had become sole owner. David Regnery died prematurely in 2009. As this was now a family-run business, his family continued running this much loved community establishment, and the restaurant continues to operate in the same manner.

The Country House is a very successful restaurant and bar, which is located on the first floor, with the offices and storage area located on the second floor. The brothers’ menu item, the Country Burger, has won acclaim and notoriety for the restaurant. They have opened up two other restaurants in Lisle and Geneva.

HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS

Restorations and renovations can draw dormant spirits into being active who are connected to the structure.

Hartford Twain House, CT (The whole Mark Twain spectral family and their maids moved back inside their forever home once it was fully restored).

Sometimes getting romantically involved with a married person can end disastrously.

Baker Hotel, TX (Mr. Baker’s “chick on the side” jumped off the top of the hotel when he wouldn’t leave his wife).

Biltmore Hotel, FL (An enraged spouse caught his beloved in bed with her lover, so he shot both of them).

Flagler College, FL (Henry Flagler’s “chick on the side” found herself imprisoned in rooms in the Flagler Hotel to keep her away from the knowledge of Mrs. Flagler. She went over the mental waterfall and killed herself in these rooms).

Country House, IL (The pretty blonde woman got involved with the married bartender which ended in a fight that broke up the affair. During the late ’50s, the bartender working at The Country House was having an affair with pretty blonde woman, in her late twenties, who was a frequent patron of the roadhouse. One evening, she came into the bar with her small daughter in tow, to visit with her lover, tending the bar customers. Unfortunately, they got into a fight that ended the relationship).

Emotional Break-ups; forced or voluntary can sometimes not end well, and can cause hauntings.

Union Station, Ogden, UT (When her jerky ex-fiancee threw her engagement ring on the tracks, she dove after it and was run over by a train).

Westover Plantation House, VA (When a daughter was forbidden to marry at 17 to a Englishman who she thought was her beloved, she never got over it though she went forward with her life, staying celebrate. She is still there, being mistress of the estate, still mourning her loss while keeping her chin up).

Anchuca Mansion, MS (A daughter of a Plantation owner, Archie fell in love with the plantation overseer’s son. She was forbidden to marry him, and is still angry about it).

Country House, IL (This emotional heated break-up greatly upset the young woman. Perhaps the blonde woman found herself pregnant. She asked the bartender to watch her child for a little while. When he refused, she left with her child, and proceeded to kill herself by wrapping her car around a tree near the roadside. Luckily, her daughter survived!).

Spirits of people who kill themselves because of a broken heart sometimes like to resider near a favorite structure or actually inside it where they did the deed.

Palace Hotel, Washington (The Lady in Blue while alive thought that one of her clients was going to marry her, but he changed his mind. She is still there).

Hotel Adolphus, TX (A Bride betrayed at the altar hung herself on the railing, of the staircase in the hotel. She is an unhappy spirit in the hotel where she was supposed to be married).

17 Hundred 90 Restaurant and Inn, GA (A young maid who was seduced by a sailor and then abandoned in a pregnant state. She is still there).

Country House, IL (Perhaps the blonde woman found herself pregnant. or, perhaps she caught him with another woman, or for some other reason he called off the affair).

People who have a favorite good-times place while alive, sometimes like to visit or reside there as spirits, and throw spectral parties. All four of the places listed below were Speakeasies combined with Brothels.

Baraboo Inn, WI (Spirits here have thoroughly enjoyed themselves here in the downstairs when the restaurant and bar were closed, much to the annoyance of the tenants on the second floor, right above the first floor).

The Broadway, Chicago, IL (Spirits have long had their parties here, after the theatre is closed for the evening).

Biltmore Hotel, Miami, FL (Apparently, there are still Prohibition parties going on in the 13th floor banquet room).

The Country House, IL (Spirits from Prohibition still go to spectral parties here when the restaurant is closed).

clarendon-hills

MANIFESTATIONS

The haunting of The Country House began during the major renovation projects being accomplished during the Fall of ’74, through the Spring of ’75, when The Country House was closed to the public.

Spirit of Young, blonde Female

A young, blonde female apparition likes to hang out in the bar, the storeroom, an upstairs room that was once a bedroom of her bartender lover, and occasionally plays pranks in the restaurant area.

When she appears, she does it in style; becoming as solid as she can to look like a real person.

Entertaining Herself!

A) In the bar area, when David was having a consultation meeting with a contractor, six independently operated shutters opened in the same moment, suddenly flooding the room with light.

B) The juke box has been known to turn itself on, in the middle of the night,. playing a song not in the juke box selection.

A workman, Frank working on the men’s bathroom late one night, heard the juke box turn on, and he went to the bar area to investigate. He saw a young, life-like blonde woman, standing by the juke box.

He was about to tell her that the bar was closed, when he noticed that there was nothing but air from the hem of her dress to the floor!

The Restaurant Activity

A) Patrons waiting for a table will hear their names called by a woman’s voice, but when they go up to the hostess, it isn’t their turn yet!

B) One hears footsteps walking through the restaurant’s dining room, which aren’t accountable to a living person.

C) When patrons go into one of the stalls in the woman’s bathroom, they hear someone in the stall next to them, opening and closing the door. There is no one living there.

D) Sometimes the door to the women’s bathroom is held shut from the inside.

Upstairs Area…

A) Footsteps are heard in the hallway and the rooms.

B) probably, a spirit of a blonde prostitute or a spirit pretending to be one has been known to sit on the window sill inside one of the upstairs room windows, and beckons male customers from the street to come up and join her, which is rather cheeky behavior, even for an apparition!

The owners blocked off the window to stop this from happening.

Other Spirits?

Perhaps she has company from other unseen residents.

1) Pounding on the walls.

2) Phantom crying babies; perhaps these were babies of prostitutes who died here from prematurity. (The Palace Hotel, WA)

3) Pots and pans in the kitchen move about like they have a mind of their own. Spirit of a disgruntled chef?

5) In various parts and rooms of the building, the smell of fresh flowers permeates the air. (Spirit of a former owner?)

6) Footsteps have been heard in various parts of the building that can’t be attributed to a living person. (Residual energy or spirits going about their business).

7) While being on the first floor, a pounding is heard coming from the second floor, using an object of 30 lbs.

PARANORMAL FINDINGS

Ever since the remodeling and rebirth of this upscale, romantic/family restaurant, the owners, staff and patrons have experienced the manifestations listed above. Apparently, all the spirits love the new look, and are happy to reside or visit here.

Psychic Investigations: After the first incident where the young blonde entity first let the brothers know she was with them, a well-known Chicago ghosthunter, Richard Crowe and two mediums were invited to investigate The Country House, by David and Patrick. The mediums reported that they felt the presence of a young, blonde, very pretty woman, who was looking for someone she had loved and lost. They also reported that she died of internal injuries.

ON their website The Country House talks freely about the paranormal activity and have videos from paranormal groups, and other programs that have featured the hauntings at the Country House.

Many paranormal groups have come to investigate this place, and all are happy by what they found, could prove or experienced.Two such groups are the Graveside Paranormal Investigation Team andThe Paranormal Research Team.

STILL HAUNTED?

Yes indeed!

There is hard evidence of the activity as well as countless personal experiences with this blonde female spirit and spirits.
As long as this entity basically behaves herself, she is welcome to hang around The Country House.

All the spirits are willing to share this special place with the living.As long as this blonde female spirit basically behaves herself, she is welcome to hang around The Country House.

The other spirits who like to party are willing to wait until the restaurant and bar are closed to have their fun.