RIVERBEND'S HISTORY

Edward Coykendall built this bungalow on his farm in 1919.  Mary, and her husband, John Coslet, were the next to call this place home, raising their family here. 

The farm's dairy barn was across the road and the riverfront lawn was the cow pasture. They crossed the river in their horsedrawn farm implements to farm the 5 acre square in the upper right corner of the aerial photo to the left and to care for animals on the remaining 21 acres on the east side of the river. 

Farm journal pages and John Coslet’s diploma are on the basement wall above the home’s original Sears & Roebuck fireplace mantle.  Vintage ads from the farm’s magazine collection are displayed throughout the house. Daughter Cleone’s novels are in the 1st floor's bookcases.

The last Coslet moved into town in the late 1970’s.  Bob & Margaret VanCleave then rented from the Coslet family for several decades. Bob and Margaret grew the thornless blackberry bushes and strawberries and planted numerous flowers and trees, adding so much to the landscape.

When the Coslet family decided to sell, John & Teresa partnered with John’s parents, Roger and Kathy Davis of Columbia, Illinois, to purchase the farm. John and Teresa had considered buying a house to furnish and rent for some years. John had long wanted to create a unique destination for visitors.  They never expected to find one place that would make both interests possible. Thank you, God, for making such a wonderful place!

The Embarras (pronounced Embraw) River bends through the farm in a “C” shape, thus the name Riverbend. The river originated as a glacial meltwater stream, forming a delta as it flowed into a glacial lake.  Riverbend Retreat lies in that delta area and the glacial lake was about two miles to the south. When was the last time you stayed the night in an ancient delta?

The Embarras originates as a creek on the University of Illinois campus and eventually joins the Wabash River. French fur traders had difficulty navigating the Embarras due to logjams. Their name for the river was derived from the French word "embarras" which means "to hinder with obstacles or difficulties".  When the river is high, the river backs up into the pasture and reaches the bungalow's front lawn.

In November of 2006, the residence was in need of repair, but it had a plenty to work with:  a fine foundation, original wood siding, exposed rafter tails, wonderfully preserved wooden ceilings on the porch and breezeway, two shed dormers to light the upper floor and beautiful wood flooring.

There was, however, no staircase to the upstairs which was just a storage area accessed by ladder. In order to build those stairs, the basement and 1st floor staircases were reversed and the fireplace chimney in the dining room was removed. The mantle, shipped in by railroad from Sears & Roebuck, is in the basement now. The door to the west-end bedroom now leads into the dining room, right through the spot where the fireplace used to be.

The 1^st floor’s middle bedroom was converted to a bathroom so that each first floor bedroom has its own bathroom. Roger Davis built the bookcases topped with Craftsman-style columns in the living room as well as the closet and Elf Room doors upstairs. He also spent many hours restoring the original wood flooring in the living room, dining room, kitchen and corner tub bathroom on the 1st floor. The former kitchen cupboards were made from the same tongue and groove boards as the floor and made the restoration with original boards possible.

Family and friends removed plaster and the attached carport (the heavy support posts became part of the mission trellis). Contractor Joe Hardwick and helper Eric Cox worked both inside and out for many months as John ordered light and plumbing fixtures, etc.

Scott Warfel of rural Tuscola made the oak kitchen cabinets and first floor vanities.  Joe & Jake Kauffman of Kauffman’s Custom Wood Interiors in Bourbon made the pub table in the kitchen and the dining table upstairs as well as all the oak chairs and barstools (each piece is signed underneath) to match those tables and the oak trim. One recent guest asked if there was any oak left in Illinois.  Yes, there is.  I saw some in the forest here just the other day.
           
Our Grand Opening was in December, 2007 and articles about the retreat appearted in the Tuscola Journal, Tuscola Review, Villa Grove News and the newspapers in Champaign, Mattoon, Charleston and Decatur.

The Davis’ are now focused on improving the retreat’s outdoor areas, recently adding two campfire pits, outdoor lighting and additional plants.  We hope you’ll visit Riverbend Retreat soon and discover Tuscola’s treasure in river country!     
                                                                                                                                                   -The Davis Family