The Knox Hotel first opened in response to the new railway and train depot, which was completed in 1854.  At the time, of Princeton’s hotels were located a couple miles south of the depot, and trains did not travel at night. Passengers needed a closer option for staying overnight.

In 1858, the “Union Hotel,” as it was first known, opened its doors. It offered 28 guest rooms, heated with coal-burning furnaces, and lit by candles. The building was constructed by early Bureau County settler, farmer and businessman William Knox. While Mr. Knox owned the building, the hotel was leased and operated by various people over the decades, using various names. In the 1870s, the hotel was renamed the “National Hotel.”

In 1893, Mr. Knox renovated the hotel top to bottom, hoping to entice guests on their way to the Chicago World’s Fair.

In 1898, William Knox passed away, leaving the hotel to his son, Albert. At this time, the hotel was renamed the “Knox Hotel,” with a fresh paint job to make it official. Early in the new century, Albert updated the hotel with new electrical, plumbing, paint, etc.

In 1929, Albert Knox passed away, and for the first time, the hotel was sold to someone outside of the Knox family.

The hotel continued to operate under different names over the following decades, but most predominantly as the “Northern Hotel.” (On the first floor, the Northern Cafe served some of the most delicious fried chicken in the area.)

In the early 1970s, time caught up with the hotel. Small rooms, outdated utilities, and communal bathrooms made the Northern Hotel less than desirable for Princeton’s visitors, and so the hotel closed.

After that, the upper floors of the building were occasionally used for apartments, law offices, storage, etc. The Northern Cafe continued to serve hungry customers through the 1980s, and thereafter the first floor housed various small retailers.

In 2015, the hotel building received a facelift and much-needed maintenance. The facade was returned to its original appearance, and painted to match the look from the early 1900s. Thanks to the major rehabilitation efforts, the Knox became the first recipient of Princeton’s Historic Preservation Commission Award. The building was also added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2021, Dane and Kelsey Stier, a local couple, purchased the Knox with plans to renovate the upper floors and bring the hotel back to life. The following year, the Knox Hotel began serving guests again for the first time in almost 50 years!