A Kewanee tavern with a long history is under new ownership.
Tom Davis has purchased the tavern at 315 E. Third St. The establishment is now named TD’s.
Davis said he has been working at the tavern for about 20 years, starting when Leo Swearingen owned it.
He purchased the business from Jay Marchand. He said he isn’t planning any major remodeling or other work, since Marchand did that when he owned the tavern.
TD’s has been a tavern for many years, although the exact date it was founded is unclear.
An internet search on Ceil and Oscar’s turned up an eBay listing for a token with the tavern’s name on it. The token had a denomination of five cents, indicating that it was issued decades ago.
Ceil Engels and Oscar VanBroundghem, who were brothers-in-law, had owned the tavern, naming it Ceil and Oscar’s
They and their wives, who were sisters, both lived in a duplex on Walnut Street behind the tavern.
When it opened, Ceil and Oscar’s was across the street from the massive Walworth factory complex. Davis said he understood that at one time Ceil and Oscar’s offered sandwiches for Walworth workers who walked across the street on their lunch break.
Oscar retired from the tavern in 1965, according to an obituary found online. Engels continued to operate the establishment, changing the name to Ceil’s, until selling it to Swearingen, who named it Leo’s Illini Tap.
Both Ceil and Oscar passed away in the 1980s.
