Maple Corner site has long history
Feb. 17—COVINGTON, Ind. — Many locals have fond memories of having first dates or other special occasion meals, and enjoying the catfish and prime rib dinners at Maple Corner restaurant.
The building that housed the unique restaurant on U.S. Route 136 at 1126 Liberty St. in Covington, Ind., has a long history itself.
Bill and Sadie Young opened Maple Corner in 1931. The two-room log cabin was surrounded by maple trees.
It served as a roadhouse, during a time when people were traveling more. Originally, there was a bar room, a dining room and kitchen, as well as a gas station out front and cabins in the back. Nearby, there were cottages. Travelers on the route could stop for gas, lodging and food — all at one corner.
Before Jim and Jean Cunningham took over, the restaurant had had six owners.
The cabins were gone by the time the Cunninghams bought Maple Corner in 1973.
They transformed a 50-seat restaurant that served primarily catfish to a 500-seat destination restaurant serving steak and seafood.
When the Cunninghams became owners, the restaurant had a staff of five, plus the two owners.
Through the years, the restaurant underwent three major expansions. It increased to nine rooms that could host 500 people and a staff of more than 50.
The Cunninghams expanded the dining room in 1975, and the Peacock Room had its last expansion in the early 1980s. One of the biggest expansions was in 1985, when the Peacock Room and a kitchen were added.
The restaurant radiated warmth with its Tiffany-style lamps and windows, brick and wood walls, farm implements on the walls, antiques and rustic charm.
After almost 33 years, Jean and Jim Cunningham in 2006 transferred ownership of the restaurant to Shozet Francis and Mike Stump.
Through subsequent years it had closed and reopened.
It reopened in June 2019 with owners Chris and Lori Marxmiller, who live in Atlanta, Ga., but are from here. Lori had worked at Maple Corner and had her wedding reception at the restaurant.
The couple bought the restaurant in Sept. 2018 and put a new roof on the building and replaced the carpeting, enlarged the size of the bar and turned a back room into a billiards/dining room with a television.
They kept the Tiffany lamps but replaced some of the others with Edison lights. The Marxmillers also kept some familiar items, such as the large Hummel figurine, "Merry Wanderer," from Europe, a fish tank and the 1940 Wurlitzer jukebox in the lobby.
Also in the lobby was a photo of Jim Cunningham, who owned the restaurant with his wife, Jean, from 1973 to 2006, almost 33 years.
One of the biggest changes was enlarging the bar, which features huge windows, copper panels and a counter with more than 20,000 pennies embedded in the top.
Another big change was that the Peacock Room, which still has a stained-glass peacock window, held eight pool tables and had a sports bar theme.
The restaurant retained its individual meeting/dining rooms. Each of the eight rooms has a theme. The Vineyard Room, for example, featured stained glass with a grapes theme. The Tiffany Room had 15 hanging lamps made by Jim Cunningham and his staff 30 years ago; professional artists made the stained-glass windows.
The Tulip Room once was a school-house room moved here from Rob Roy, Ind., and the East Terrace Room also used to be part of another building.
The lobby features an oak podium and reception area carved by Zach Thomas in 1978. Oak trim gives the restaurant its rustic look.
When COVID hit and it was harder to staff the restaurant, the Marxmillers had turned it into The Gathering Place at Maple Corner. It was used for weddings and other events.
