Brussels in Calhoun County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Wittmond Hotel
166 East Main Street
| | Brussels Historic District | |
Photographed by Jason Voigt, November 12, 2020
1. Wittmond Hotel Marker
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • Industry & Commerce.
Location. 38° 56.801′ N, 90° 35.07′ W. Marker is in Brussels, Illinois, in Calhoun County. It is on Main Street (County Route 1) south of Cemetery Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 166 East Main St, Brussels IL 62013, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Illinois River Valley. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Veterans Memorial (within
this page online
Regarding Wittmond Hotel. To access Brussels from the north is to take county roads from Hardin (15 miles), and access from Missouri or Jersey County, Illinois is only by ferry. The Grafton Ferry (free) is six miles east of Brussels and it leads to Illinois Route 100. The Golden Eagle Ferry (toll) is six miles southeast of Brussels and it leads to Missouri.
Excerpts from the National Register nomination:
The Brussels Historic District encompasses most of the village of Brussels, Illinois. The
village of Brussels (estimated current population 125) is located in the southern part of
Calhoun County. Calhoun County is a peninsula, situated below Pike County and is
between the Mississippi River to the west, and the Illinois River to the east. There are
no state highways leading to Brussels. Brussels is accessible by the county road which
goes south from the county seat of Hardin. Brussels is fourteen miles from Hardin.
The other way to Brussels is to follow the county road west for eight miles after crossing
the Brussels Ferry on the Illinois River from Grafton, Illinois. There are two major
streets, Main Street and Community Avenue. The Brussels Historic District starts at the
southeast entrance to the village on Main Street and continues to wind northwest
through the village for .7 of a mile, and at Community Avenue, near the center of the
village, goes south for .1 of a mile.
Within the historic district there is a mixture of residences and businesses. Most of the
homes within the historic district are one or one and a half story homes. There are
several two story homes and businesses. Most of the larger buildings were built as a
business with a residence attached. Many of the larger structures have two front doors
centered in the front facade on both the first and second stories. The majority of the homes have clapboards with gable metal roofs. Within the confines of the village
outbuildings are found on almost every property. There are numerous chicken coops
and privies, and even a few barns and a carriage house. The historic district also has a
church, church office, parish hall, parochial school, a restaurant/hotel/tavern/antique
store, a tavern/antique store, a restaurant/flower and gift shop, a library, a Red and
White Grocery Store/beauty salon/apartments, a public school gymnasium, ambulance
shed, a cemetery, and the American Legion Hall. The historic district contains 80
contributing buildings, a contributing site, and a contributing object. The contributing
buildings include 21 residences, a church, church hall, church office, parochial school,
gymnasium, library, American Legion Hall, 10 commercial buildings, 3 barns, one
carriage house, 3 chicken coops, 4 privies, 11 garages, and one storage building. The
contributing site is St. Mary's Cemetery and the contributing object is the statue of
Christ in front of St. Mary's Catholic Church.
(the following paragraph talks about the hotel as a contributing property)
(MR1) Wittmond's Trading Post (Wittmond's Restaurant and Hotel). 1847. Two story
gable roof with six-over-six windows, brick commercial building with later additions from
1863 and 1880. Originally built as a trading post and general store. Later additions
include a residence and hotel. Another use was a post office. Today the building is a
restaurant, hotel, tavern, and antique store. Contributing.
Shed. Gable roof. Contributing.
Also see . . .
1. Brussels Historic District on Wikipedia.
Photographed by Jason Voigt, November 12, 2020
2. Wittmond Hotel Marker
Plaque is mounted at the front of the building.
2. Brussels Historic District (archived PDF). National Register nomination for the property, which was listed in 1998. (Prepared by Cindy Linn of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency; via National Archives) (Submitted on January 29, 2026, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
Photographed by Thomas Smith, January 11, 2026
3. Wittmond Hotel Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 12, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 725 times since then and 71 times this year. Last updated on January 28, 2026, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 12, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. 3. submitted on January 28, 2026, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
