Roanoke Inn

George Macguire put the Roanoke Inn up in 1914, and it stands as the oldest business on Mercer Island [1]. Back then the island was dairy farms and good deer country, and the Inn sat a block from the ferry terminal that ran to Kirkland and Leschi [1]. That ferry made it a weekend draw for locals and tourists alike, and the cold beer and warm room gave it a name as a spot where friends gathered [1]. There is talk of dancing girls, bootleg liquor and gambling, and maybe some of it holds up [1]. The Reeck family bought the place in 1941 and carried the legacy on [1]. In 1976 the State of Washington made it an official historical landmark [1]. Over the years the Inn shifted to match what the community needed [1].