History of Mariah's House and Restaurant

Standing since 1818, the Mariah Moore House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest standing brick structure in Bowling Green. The House was originally built in 1818 by Elizabeth and George Moore at a cost of almost $4000. After the house was built, George and Elizabeth had five children, including Mariah, who never married and occupied the house until her death in 1888. Thus it became know as the Mariah Moore House.

In 1979, Rick Kelley and David Sears saw the house a place for comfortable dining and Mariah's 1818 came into being.

The wood floors were stripped to their original look; the fireplaces and mantles were refurbished, several walls were stripped back to their original brick and many of the antiques and additional woodworkings were purchased from local historic buildings.

In 1990, a 3,000 square foot addition was built to allow for expansion of the kitchen, dining and bar area. In planning for the expansion, great efforts were made to preserve the appearance and architecture of the existing building. Matching rooflines and detail woodwork above the entrances are two examples of that effort. On the inside, the antique bar is a topic of many conversations. The bar was built by Brunswick in the late 1880's and was refurbished from an old saloon in Chicago.

In October of 1995, a major fire destroyed much of the building. Rick Kelley made the decision in early 1996 to rebuild the restaurant, trying to retain as much of the original structure as possible. Fortunately the original brick portion of the building was salvaged. Several of the unique features of the restaurant, such as the antique bar and the carousel horse, were not damaged beyond repair and have been refurbished.

Several renovations have been made to the restaurant to allow us to expand and service our customers better. The kitchen has been expanded for greater efficiency and includes a wood-fire brick oven. The banquet facilities have been enlarged to accomodate approximately 150 guests, making them ideal for meetings, dinners and receptions. The banquet rooms are also designed to provide a working atmosphere for seminars or programs. The atrium will be highlighted by a mural of downtown Bowling Green in the early thirties, drawn by local artist David Jones.

The bar has been expanded with a "Sports" theme and is known as Legends Sports Bar. A TV video wall will use the latest technology to bring our customers all of the big games. Sports murals, including E. A. Diddle, Arnold Palmer, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, the 1980 USA Hockey team and others, adorn the walls of the bar.