BLACKBERRY TOWNSHIP – The shuttered Fishermen's Inn in Blackberry Township was sold this week for $1.2 million to Mark and Patricia Southern of Big Rock Township, records show.

The Southerns and their real estate agent did not return voicemail messages seeking comment.

Fishermen's Inn, at 43W901 Main Street Road, just west of Route 47, closed Dec. 21, 2009, after being in business for 40 years as a restaurant and banquet hall. It was on the market for 89 months, records show, initially offered for sale at $2.5 million. The building covers 21,133 square feet on 17.3 acres, according to Kane County records.

Gordon Gromer, a real estate agent who listed Fishermen's Inn for sale, said there had been a lot of interest from restaurateurs, but no takers until now.

"The buyer has a business west of here that is relocating to Fishermen's Inn," Gromer said. "They're using it as a headquarters for the business, but intend to reopen in the future as a restaurant and banquet facility."

Fishermen’s Inn opened in 1964 in a renovated barn on the site at the corner of Main Street Road and Route 47 in Blackberry Township. It was purchased by Ralph Schleifer in 1973.

The restaurant had been owned by Ralph Schleifer. After he died in 2005, it was turned over to a trust overseen by Old Second Bank, records show.