Constructed in 1901 for James Delaney and run by members of this family for most of the twentieth century, it is evidence of Ravenswood's prosperity during its boom period.

The need to access and exploit gold finds determined the path of railways, the establishment of related industries and commerce and the location of settlements.

Other settlements based on goldfields became established towns with government and civic buildings, shops and family homes and survived as such.

[1] Much of the gold initially found was in a triangle in and around three dry creeks which soon formed the focus for a tent and shanty settlement.

[1] It was also beginning to have problems as gold at deeper levels proved to be finely distributed in ore containing other minerals and was difficult to separate either by mechanical or chemical means.

Many miners left for other fields, such as Charters Towers, discovered in 1871 and which quickly overtook Ravenswood as a gold producer and as the most important inland North Queensland town.

Despite this, Ravenswood continued to prosper due to a steady, though reduced, production of gold, the discovery of silver at nearby Totley in 1878 and as a commercial centre.

The stability of the town was assisted by linking of Ravenswood to the Great Northern railway from Townsville to Charters Towers in 1884.

In 1899 the New Ravenswood Company was formed by Archibald Laurence Wilson who raised overseas capital, reopened old mines and used modern methods to rework tailings more efficiently.

The site purchased by Delaney was separated from Browne's by only 2 shops and he opened his splendid two storey Imperial Hotel in early 1901.

On the night of 18 April 1901, the Imperial burned to the ground taking with it the whole block of buildings, with the exception of Browne's hotel, which had been protected by a brick wall.

The owners agreed to use the same architect, Eaton, Bates and Polin, to redesign the whole block and tenders were called in early May 1901.

The Delaney's had four daughters, Mary Ellen (1896), Kathleen (1898), Teresa (1899) and Johanna (1901) who at the time of his death were aged between six years and eleven months.

As time went by the cost of extraction grew as returns lessened and Wilson lost money searching for "mother" lodes at deep levels and began to lay off miners.

A strike in 1912 dragged out for eight months causing hardship and although judgement eventually favoured the miners, Wilson could no longer afford to employ many of them.

The decline of the Ravenswood mines continued with the outbreak of World War I in 1914 increasing costs and disruptions to the labour supply.

A small revival occurred during the 1930s and a shaft was sunk next to the hotel, but most gold was gained by applying more modern extraction processes to known sites.

Ravenswood's two hotels have helped to maintain an economic life in the town and continue to offer accommodation and recreational facilities.

[1] The Imperial Hotel is located on Macrossan Street, in the town centre, one of just a few buildings in a landscape of disturbed ground with scattered ruins and mullock heaps, set amongst chinee apple trees and rubber vines.

The corrugated iron roof is concealed by a high parapet with a central arched pediment and six flanking spires.

Features include an elaborately constructed and decorated bar with cedar and glass fittings, beer engines and ceramic taps.