The Library, a Historic Hotel

10/26/2026

🃏🍸 TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT! 🍸🃏

We’re excited to kick off our very first Cards & Cocktails at The Archive Lounge!

Join us for an evening of cards, cocktails, a little friendly competition, and great company—all in the cozy, historic atmosphere of our speakeasy.

♠️ TONIGHT | 5–8 PM
♥️ The Archive Lounge | 500 Main Street, St. Joseph
♦️ Enjoy our specialty Stacked Deck Cocktail
♣️ Prizes throughout the evening!

Whether you’re a seasoned card player or just looking for a fun way to spend your Monday evening, pull up a chair, grab a cocktail, and let the games begin!

The cards are dealt. The cocktails are ready. All we’re missing is you! 🥂

10/21/2026

♠️ LET’S DEAL! CARDS & COCKTAILS DEBUTS THIS MONDAY! ♥️

Monday, October 26 | 5–8 PM

We’re starting something new at The Archive Lounge, and we’d love for you to be part of our very first Cards & Cocktails night!

♣️ Come solo, bring a friend, make it a date night, or gather your card-playing crew!

Euchre, Rummy, Gin, Poker… whatever your game, there’s no set agenda or organized tournament. Just a relaxed evening of cards, cocktails, and good company in our historic speakeasy.

🥃 FEATURED COCKTAIL: THE STACKED DECK — $12

Our special bourbon cocktail featuring Michigan cherry, citrus, and ginger. A winning hand!

🎟️ PLUS! A little extra fun with a raffle, prizes, and giveaways throughout the evening!

Whether you’re a serious card player or just looking for something different to do on a Monday night, come pull up a chair. You might even make a few new friends!

📍 The Archive Lounge
500 Main Street | St. Joseph, Michigan

The cards are on the table.

All we need is YOU! 🃏

10/17/2026

❤️ The stories that make The Library so special.

Today, we had the pleasure of welcoming Doreen and her daughters to The Library Historic Hotel for a very special visit.

Doreen’s mother, Bessie Van Lente (Mrs. Harold Van Lente), was the last children’s librarian in this very building before The Library moved to its new location.

Among the wonderful pieces of St. Joseph history Doreen shared was an original newspaper clipping featuring her mother introducing a new book to a young reader during National Children’s Book Week. The article tells of more than 450 new books arriving at the children’s library!

Seeing this photograph and hearing Doreen’s childhood memories reminds us why preserving this building means so much.

We may have restored a beautiful historic building, but it’s the people of St. Joseph, their memories, and their stories that truly bring it to life.

Doreen, thank you to you and your daughters for visiting today and sharing these treasured pieces of your family’s history!

📍 The Library Historic Hotel | St. Joseph, Michigan

10/12/2026

Some of the most fascinating stories in St. Joseph’s history never stayed between the covers of a book. Join us for an evening of scandal, secrets, and cocktails as we bring them to life. 🥃📚

We’re excited to invite you to our FIRST-EVER history storytelling event at The Archive Lounge!

CRIME & COCKTAILS
Prohibition, Scandal & Libations at The Library

Step inside our historic Carnegie library and settle in with a cocktail as two celebrated local authors share their knowledge of Southwest Michigan’s past—and the colorful characters, crimes, and Prohibition-era stories that make it unforgettable.

Meet our featured storytellers:

📖 Chriss Lyon, historian and author of A Killing in Capone’s Playground: The True Story of the Hunt for the Most Dangerous Man Alive and its updated edition, Fred “Killer” Burke: The Hunt for the Most Dangerous Man Alive. Her work explores the startling connections between Southwest Michigan and the notorious world of Prohibition-era gangsters.

📖 Jane Simon Ammeson, local author whose books include A Jazz Age Murder in Northwest Indiana, How to Murder Your Wealthy Lovers and Get Away With It, and Hauntings of the Underground Railroad: Ghosts of the Midwest. Her writing brings forgotten history, intriguing lives, and extraordinary true stories back into the spotlight.

Preserving this building has always been about more than its walls—it’s about keeping stories alive. We’d love for you to be part of this first evening of history, conversation, and community.

Wednesday, November 11
Arrive at 4:00 PM | Presentation 4:30–6:00 PM
The Archive Lounge at The Library Historic Hotel
500 Main Street, St. Joseph, Michigan
$50 per person, including two cocktails | Ages 21+

Have a local story of your own? We’d love to hear it! Prohibition-era attire is welcome, and the bar will remain open after the presentation so you can linger over another cocktail.

Gather your friends and purchase your tickets today.

Scan the QR code below to purchase your tickets!

10/11/2026

Stay in a historic library. Sip in a speakeasy. Escape to St. Joseph, Michigan.

Your next chapter is a fall getaway. Discover The Library Historic Hotel, a beautifully restored 1904 Carnegie library with just six uniquely curated guest rooms. Experience a one-of-a-kind stay in the heart of downtown St. Joseph, just steps from Silver Beach and unforgettable Lake Michigan sunsets.

Come for the fall colors. Explore charming downtown shops, stroll along the shore, and slow down long enough to watch the sun disappear over the lake. Then spend your evening in The Archive Lounge, our intimate speakeasy, where seasonal craft cocktails and vintage surroundings invite you to linger a little longer.

Make it a romantic escape, a getaway with friends, or simply the weekend you’ve been meaning to take. Surround yourself with history, enjoy something extraordinary, and start a new chapter worth remembering.

Fall won’t wait—and your getaway shouldn’t either.

10/10/2026

Our hearts are so full. ❤️

You voted The Library Historic Hotel Best Hotel and Best Bed & Breakfast in The Herald-Palladium Readers’ Choice awards, and this means more to us than words can say.

We poured our hearts into this project. Through every decision, every challenge, and every little detail, one hope mattered so much to us: that our community would be proud of what we were creating.

This beautiful building was part of St. Joseph’s story long before it became part of ours. We’ve always felt that, while this may be our project, it belongs to the community’s heart, too. Being able to bring new life to it and welcome you through its doors has been a privilege.

Your votes feel like the most heartfelt reminder that you’re cheering us on—and that this place means something to you, too. That is something we will never take for granted.

Thank you for believing in us, for sharing in this new chapter, and for making us feel so supported. We’re proud, humbled, and deeply grateful.

10/09/2026

A little history, a little mystery, and a Plot Twist. 🍸📚

Hidden beneath the Historic Library Hotel in St. Joseph, Michigan, the Archive Lounge brings vintage speakeasy charm together with carefully crafted signature cocktails, each with its own unique character.

Meet The Plot Twist — a bright, floral blend of gin, lavender, lime, and grapefruit. Refreshing, unexpected, and just one of the many unique cocktails waiting to be discovered.

Whether you’re a local or just visiting St. Joseph, come downstairs, grab a seat, and experience the Archive Lounge for yourself.

Open daily from 4–9ish PM. 🥃

10/08/2026

10/07/2026

🍂 Tonight is too beautiful to stay inside! 🍸

Join us on the patio at The Archive Lounge for a cozy fire, a glimpse of the sunset, and a perfect fall evening. Sip something seasonal:

🎃 Pumpkin Espresso Martini
🌿 Rosemary Orange Martini
🍎 Apple Old-Fashioned

Grab a friend, settle in by the fire, and savor the evening with us! ✨

10/04/2026

Next up: Stacks II. 📚

Taking you inside Stacks Two, a brighter and more elegant contrast to Stacks One. From the lighter color palette and carefully chosen furnishings to the vintage details throughout, every part of this room was curated to give it a character all its own.

Stay tuned as we continue our room-by-room tour of the Historic Library Hotel and share the inspiration and details behind each space. 📚✨