The Buckeye Dining Saloon was run by John N. McDonnell, son of Michael and Mary (Needham) McDonnell, from about 1860 to 1872. The saloon was located at 170 and 172 Vine St., between 4th and 5th Streets from 1860 to 1870. Here is a map of the location today. About 1870 the Buckeye was moved one block north to a new location at 218 Vine St. (the east side of Vine St. between 5th and 6th, opposite the Grand Opera House). Over the years John had several different business partners (see table below); George V. Atkinson, Michael J. Mullen (husband of his sister Kate) and his younger brother Michael J. John's older brother Patrick appears to have worked in the restaurant but was not involved in its ownership. In about 1872 John sold his share to Michael Mullen, opening another restaurant on his own. According to this 1863 menu, the Buckeye was operating under the proprietorship of "McDonnell & Brother", which would most likely have been John and Michael. City directories from 1862-1864 however state that the Buckeye was being run by John and George Atkinson. Both John McDonnell and George Atkinson died in 1874, Michael Mullen in 1875. Michael J. McDonnell moved out west in 1880 with his wife and two daughters, living in Nebraska, Montana, Washington and Oregon.

Three weeks after the death of Michael J. Mullen in January 1875, John N.'s brother-in-law James C. McLaughlin took over the premises at 218 Vine. James had run a hotel in Covington, KY called the Clinton House for over ten years, it had gone bankrupt in September 1874. He continued to operate the business as the Buckeye Dining Rooms until about 1878. He then expanded, turning the restaurant in the Florentine Hotel and Restaurant, which occupied 216, 218 and 220 Vine. The Florentine was in business until March 1883 when it was sold.

All of the north-south streets in downtown Cincinnati and nearby in the basin were renumbered in 1896 so that the street numbers corresponded with the numbered names of east-west streets (and therefore with the number of full blocks from the Ohio River). For example, the numbers on Vine Street (a north-south street) between 4th St. and 5th Street (east-west streets, 4 and 5 full blocks from the river, respectively) were renumbered to being between 400 and 499. Odd numbers were to be on the west or south side of a street and even numbers on the east or north side. The location of the Buckeye at 170 & 172 Vine St. is therefore on the east side of the 400 block of Vine today.

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Related Items:
Cincinnati city directory listings
John N. McDonnell's obituary.
John's family plot in St. Joseph New Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio.