We’ve all heard that old expression. But in our case, the walls kinda do.
When you walk through the front door and take a look around, you’ll probably see a few people you know. But after a few friendly hey you’s, if you keep your eyes on the walls in and around the bar, you’re bound to see some interesting old posters, and a couple of yellowed photographs from back in the day. Same goes for the main dining room, along the halls, and into the game room. Some have info plates underneath and some don’t.
They’re up there because they each have a little something to say about this tavern. Lots of little pieces of the heart of this old place. And since we truly love the story of this building, its bones, and all the rumors, we’ve managed to keep as many of its historic photos, posters, letters, and paraphernalia as possible. They are all a part of the ambience of the venue.
Here are a few favorites:
The enlarged Indy ‘500’ yellowed black and white photo in the bar. Circa 1950, you can plainly see Clark Gable leaning out of his front row seat, straining to watch the race. And while that’s interesting on its own, the reason he was there was to promote his upcoming movie, “To Please a Lady.” A romance-drama with sequences filmed at the 500, about a fearless former war-hero race driver that meets his match in a feisty sports columnist (Barbara Stanwyck). You’ll see his signature on the lower left. Did he actually hang out Barringer’s the day after the race? Officially? No one can say for sure.
Then there’s that guitar on the dining room wall. The guitar was actually hand-made using pieces of the 150-year-old oak staircase we had torn out. A talented guy name Darin Rhinehart loved the old wood and asked for several stairs. You can see the hand-carved result. Beautiful guitar with lots of details including knobs made from 1939 trolley car tokens. It was a gift for Kevin Dolan, a memorabilia collector and one of our owners.
Another framed favorite is this classic newspaper, headlined “Prohibition Ends at Last! 14-year Dry Era Over.” The year was 1933, when on December 3rd, the 21st Amendment was finally passed, repealing the very unpopular 18th Amendment of 1920. (Are you taking note, Trivia aficionados?) We made it through prohibition and didn’t close our doors. We had our own ideas of how to survive the dry era back then. (Let’s just say we weren’t a stickler for the rules.)
For the record, we’ve been around the block a few times. But — kept up with that same block right here on the corner. Whether you join us for the food, the drinks, the people you know, or to soak up a little history – we hope you’ll stop in.
Barringer’s Tavern.
Where every seat feels like your usual spot.
Pat & Rob
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