#6343 - Sons of Hermann Hall, Dallas, TX - 9/10/2025

Sons of Hermann Hall, Dallas, TX

I'm not sure how old the bar at the Sons of Hermann Hall is, but it appears to have had a bar and a ballroom right from the start, i.e. when it opened in 1911* for the Dallas chapter of the fraternal organization created to preserve German traditions and ease the transition of German immigrants into American society.

Looking at the building today, I see no reason to doubt that the bar and ballroom started out in the same segments of the building as they do today?  Indeed, given its private status (and home to so many Germans) during prohibition, one assumes that its life as a bar barely slowed during federal prohibition. 

It is said to be the last remaining all-wood structure in Dallas, and it gradually transitioned from a private fraternal club to being open to the public, including hosting bands and swing dances in the ballroom upstairs. It is now a treasured venue, particularly for country music, with artists who have played there including the Drive-By Truckers, Wilco, Dixie Chicks, Arlo Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt, Whiskeytown, James McMurtry, The New Bohemians, Junior Brown, Lost Highway, Son Volt, and Slobberbone.

*Some sources say it opened in 1910, but the history page for the site itself says 1911.

3414 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75226 - (214) 747-4422
Est. 1911? - Building constructed: 1911
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: sonsofhermannhall.com
Reviews: dallasobserver - centraltrack.com - dallasobserver - nbcdfw 

#6324 - Lucky Frank's Irish Pub, Braddock, PA - 8/27/2025

Lucky Frank's Irish Pub, Braddock, PA

A lot of people assume Lucky Frank's Irish Pub is no longer open, and that's what I had done until a local informed me that it's one of those places where you have to ring the doorbell and hope they let you in. Standing on the main drag of Braddock, PA, with an attention grabbing "Harper Whiskey" ad painted on the side, it's not that you'd miss Frank's, but from the front doorway there are no signs of lights on inside, and not knowing about the doorbell, my previous attempts ended when I found the door locked. This time, however, the door was actually slightly propped open, and I entered and took a seat at the bar, in front of two interesting old back bars, and amidst some curious stares.

Lucky Frank's Irish Pub, Braddock, PA

The borough of Braddock, just southeast of Pittsburgh, was name for the British General who died here in a failed mission to take Fort Duquesne from the French (his aide-de-camp Lieutenant-Colonel George Washington would live to fight another day). It has been a struggling community ever since the Carnegie steel mills closed down in the 1970s and 1980s. It was named a "financially distressed municipality" by the state, and in 2006 elected a hulking, shorts and hoodie wearing mayor named John Fetterman, who initiated various revitalization efforts. On this day, in addition to Frank's, I was able to visited the recently reopened and still being remodeled "Carnegie One," the very first of the over sixteen hundred libraries erected with funding from the steel magnate.

It should go without saying that inside Frank's is a classic dive bar, and it was tended by a woman who told me her name was Henrietta, but was curiously called "Mary" by all the patrons. Mary/Henrietta examined my ID carefully, quizzing me about whether I worked for a lawyer or was an inspector of some sort. The bar has a posted policy of not allowing anyone under the age of 35, a policy that is not so much enforced anymore, esp. since COVID. Mary told me she's a tough broad, and informed me that "There's something wrong with you and I'm going to figure it out." When I asked her if it was okay if I took some pictures she called Frank, who gave the okay.

With a cold Yuengling in hand and my web page on the phone, I eventually convinced Mary that I was who I said I was and I was there because of my bar hobby. It turned out that Mary had a lot of information to share about the bar, its history, and people there and around the neighborhood, and we slowly become something like buddies. She dug out relics from the bar, including pulling out boxes of old bottles she'd founding digging in and around the building, unwrapping each one from the packing paper to show me.

It's clear that the Frank's building is pretty old, and that it's hosted bars for a long time, but I've only been able to find snippets of information, especially post-prohibition. There have been saloons at this address since at least 1889, under the following succession of owners:

Samuel R. Holmes (-1889-)

Patrick McKeown (-1890-1902) and John O. Lightner (-1892-)

Christian Echart (1901-1904)

Fritz Totzke and Peter Schmidt (1904-1905)

Matthew Marohnick (1905-1907)

Michael Kalina (1907-1908-)

Peter J. Caulfield (-1909-1919-)

Frank Skrabec (-1913-1921-)

From there the info becomes more sparse. In 1935 it was a tavern named the "Barcewicz Café," by 1949 it was the "Silver Grill," and it was "Lucky Frank's Irish Pub" by 1993. Around 15 years ago it was closed by the authorities for several years due to rampart drug activity. It was reopened in 2012, under a plan from owners Frank Evanovich and Charles Blon that included banning anyone under 30 and staying open only from 8am to 6pm.

As I left Frank's, Mary escorted me out the door, continuing to share information, until we each took a photo of the other in front of the place, and gave each other a departing hug. I'm really hoping I can dig out substantially more of the history of the bars here, and definitely plan to return.

312 Braddock Ave, Braddock, PA 15104 - (412) 545-2914

#6323 - Dante Club, Rankin, PA - 8/27/2025

Dante Club, Rankin, PA

The Dante Club is not a place you are likely to stumble upon if you are not seeking it out, tucked in the shadow of the Rankin Bridge in the old steel and wire manufacturing borough down the Monongahela River from Pittsburgh. Even the Google Street View images give no hint of business, showing instead the bridge flying over it. But one cohort who can find are movie producers -- flicks that were partially filmed here include "The Deliverance," "Last Flag Flying," "Mindhunter," "The Road," "American Rust," and "Out of the Furnace."

Owner and bartender Danielle Cioppa told me there were two types of people who find the bar without being locals/regulars: People who attended the local community high schools that are memorialized in the space, and movie people. She was surprised to find out I was neither.

Dante Club, Rankin, PA

The movie people obviously like the old, classic working man's bar vibe in the historic space - as do I. This neighborhood used to be heavily Italian, and as can be seen in an old book of club by-laws, rules, and regulations possessed by the bar owners, the "Dante Club" can be traced all the way back to 1924, when it began in the home of Mrs. Teresa Russo. The club began renting the current space in 1936 (shortly after prohibition), and became a chartered club with a liquor license in 1937.

It would remain the members-only Dante Club for more than half a century, because it was sold in 1998 to someone who opened it to the public renamed "Hidy's Cafe." But finally in 2022 Todd Cioppa purchased it for his (Italian) mother Anita, who was 80 years old at the time and returned it to the original name and ran it briefly before passing away two years later. It's now run by Todd and his wife Danielle.

Danielle noted that attendance at the bar varies widely, from very slow nights to big crowds. She hosts a lot of different sorts of events, bringing in old bar owners for interviews, staging a fish fry contests from the innumerable churches and volunteer fire departments that produce them every Lent, craft nights, live music, comedy shows, Steeler games, Pride week specials, and watch parties for the various films created here. The bar has also served as the hub 

As we were discussing my hobby, Danielle provided various historical notes on the bar, and quizzed me about other interesting local bars, adding a few to my to-do list. I'm following the club on Facebook now for future events.

  

Anita Cioppa's coats hang in an
abiding homage

115 W Braddock Ave, Braddock, PA 15104 - (412) 852-6919
Est. 1937 (first becomes a club and bar), 1998 (opens to public)
Previous bars in this location: Hidy's Cafe
Web site: dantesrankin.com - facebook - instagram 
Articles and reviews: yajagoff.com  

#6182 - Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH - 5/16/2025

Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH

Find the purple orb light on Republican Street, descend the stairs down four stories below street level into the lagering caves last used by a Cincinnati brewing company in the 1850s, and you'll find a couple of the more beautiful bars I've been to. This is Ghost Baby, purportedly named for an infant specter that was somehow responsible for the shattering of the first light bulb inserted in the reopening of the caves. 

The first room, reservation not required, is the "Rattle Room," featuring a central bar that is said to have been designed after a baby's rattle. Step past that and behind the velvet curtains -- although you will probably need a reservation, into "The Den," with a bar in the corner and romantically lit tables, with a velvet curtain lined stage on the opposite end hosting various forms of live music performances. The award winning design, the fine craft cocktails, and the overall vibe all make it well worth a reservation (and fifty-some stair steps).

Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH

I also had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Heather and Chuck at the bar. They are a couple from Kentucky, she a school teacher, and he with the airline industry for many years. Chuck's job allowed them to fly for free on Delta flights that had available seating at takeoff time. So they would pack up the kids, go to the airport, and ask at the desk about any flights with several open seats; where ever those flights were going, they went. It sounded like a fun family.

Chuck and Heather,
at Ghost Baby, Cincinnati, OH

1314 Republic St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 - (513) 381-5333
Est. Feb 18, 2020 - Building constructed: Pre-1850
Previous bars in this location: None known 
Web site: ghost-baby.com - facebook - instagram 
Reviews: cincinnatidesignawards - esquire - cincinnati.com - 5chw4r7z - yelp - tripadvisor 

#6163 - Weedville Hotel, Jay Township, PA - 4/22/2025

As far as I can tell, from online sources and chatting with current owner Jeremy Rippey, no one knows how long the Weedville Hotel and bar have been here. (I hope to make it to the Elk County Historical Society's Robinson Museum in a future trip to see if I can find more.) The Dec 30, 1904 issue of the Brockway Record indicates that there has been a Weedville Hotel serving liquor here since at 1903. But old sources didn't find it necessary to list the exact address, and the Weedville Hotel structure appears to have been destroyed by fire at least twice -- once in 1908 and again in 1933. The former conflagration was described as "cremating"  one Samuel Dutsy, who was in a hotel room and purportedly drunk.

Weedville Hotel, Weedville, PA

So it is difficult to date the current building, and it does not seem to show any obvious vestiges of the pre-prohibition business. However it does have features that harken back to shortly after prohibition, including the antique back bar and the murals painted throughout the restaurant portion, which Rippey said were done in 1941 by a resident in exchange for room and board.

Weedville is an unincorporated community within Jay Township, ins southeastern Elk County, some 120 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, in an area best known for its elk viewing. According to Nancy Piper the first white settler in the community was John Boyd in 1816, who built a sawmill there which he sold the next year to Frederick Weed and Captain Weed. 

Weedville Hotel, Weedville, PA

Today the bar is a pleasant small town stop, serving Italian dinners, pub standards, and a small but quite adequate selection of spirits and beers.

As a random historical note, here is a list of past owners that I have found in primary sources:

David Thomas (-1904-1908-, d.1911)

William J. Thomas (-1914-) (son of David)

Frank Frarie (1916-)

Sam Betta (-1940, d.1940)

Raymond Parisi (-1956-)

Alice Demonte (-1965-)

Robert Larkin (-1976-)

Rick Crocco (-1983-)

Jeremy Rippey (2000-2025-)

Weedville Hotel token, author's collection

625 River Rd, Weedville, PA 15868 - (814) 787-8079
Est. 1904 OE - Building constructed: 1933?
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook 
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor 

Historical Note: Stanley's Tavern(s), Pittsburgh, PA

New Stanley's Lounge, Pittsburgh, PA

The New Stanley's Lounge, still operating at 7403 Frankstown Ave, in Pittsburgh's North Homewood neighborhood, was established by Stanley McDonald Williams in the mid 1950s. Sorting out the history of Williams and his bars presented some initial confusion, as not only were there mutiple concurrent Stanley's Taverns in the city, and not only were there both multiple William Stanleys and multiple Stanley Williams in the city, but city guides often listed him as "Wm. Stanley" or "Stanley McWilliams. His name was often listed as "Stanley McD Williams," perhaps as a necessary distinction. Nevertheless, after sorting out the mistakes in these primary sources, it quickly becomes clear that Williams was a remarkable businessman, and while they may not be as large or famous as clubs like the Crawford Grills, for some time his places were some of the most happening joints in the city. 

Stanley's Tavern, Pittsburgh, PA - 1941
Teenie Harris photo via Carnegie Museum

Before he started opening nightclubs soon after the repeal of prohibition, while just in his 20s, Stanley Williams was already a big success in business, and widely respected in the community for his business acumen. He described his background briefly in a 1950 letter to the editor in the Pittsburgh Courier: ""I myself am a native of Barbados, came here for economic advancement and have become a fairly successful businessman in the city of Pittsburgh." A 1926 article in the same paper described the "Patterson and Williams" department store in which he partnered as an immediate success. By 1930, he is hosting an elaborate birthday party for his wife Syvella, whom local papers referred to with terms like "beauteous" and "charming but aggressive," and gifting her a "straight 8 Packard sedan in two-tone brown," while an orchestra played for a large number of guests in their much admired house. 

The original Stanley's Tavern
Teenie Harris photo via the Carnegie Museum

Williams was very involved in a wide range of social events and organizations promoting black businsesses. Among these he was a member of Pittsburgh's "Frog Club," a group with which I am unfamiliar, but which had enough clout to attract Duke Ellington and his orchestra to their annual "Frog Week" activities in 1953. 

 In early 1933 he would open his first nightclub, and his and Syvella's activities would be regularly featured in the news and nightclub gossip columns of the Pittsburgh Courier for the next couple decades (although with a wide variety of spellings of Syvella's name, at least when they strayed from the conventional "Mrs. Stanley Williams"). On April 17th of that year he would open the doors of "Stanley's Inn" to considerable excitement. The Courier called it a "real hotcha spot" with a "floor show, hot and peppery!" and noting "the proprietor is young progressive Stanley Williams whose business acumen is not news to patrons of local race enterprises." 

The 2nd Stanley's Tavern
Teenie Harris photo via Carnegie Museum

For whatever reason, a year and a half later the space would be taken over by Arthur Brown's Ambassador Club. Williams does not seem to appear on the nightlife scene again until May of 1939, when he would host another Grand Opening in the same location, this time with Jesse Owens in attendance. This would become Williams' most renowned club, even while he opened a second location on the opposite end of the same block, managed by his brother Charlie. 

Williams repeatedly closed for remodeling and upgrades of the facility. E.g. in 1941 he added the latest air conditioning system, making it "the only race beer garden in this area with an air-conditioning system."

Stanley's was packed even when there was no music playing, but there's no question the music was an attraction. This was especially true on Wednesday nights, when DJ Mary Dee was in the house. "Mary Dudley (born Mary Elizabeth Goode; April 8, 1912 – March 17, 1964), known as Mary Dee, was an American disc jockey who is widely considered the first African-American woman disc jockey in the United States" and (wikipedia)  The Nov 4, 1950 Pittsburgh Courier reported that "Station WHOD's queen of the platter pushers has kept entertainment moving for two years at Stanley's Lounge on Wednesday celebrity nights.... In two short years Mary Dee has made Wednesday the big night in town, with headquarters at Stanley's. Mary Dee has become a top goodwill ambassador and she's a real gone girl in every way."

Pittsburgh Courier, Oct 27, 1945

In 1952 the Courier would add, "Stanley's Lounge is one of the few places in Pittsburgh featuring live talent nightly in the underground bistro at Fullerton and Wylie. Cozy Harris presides over the piano, while Little Bea and Dannie Cobb take care of the vocal department. Mary Dee of Station WHOD pulls the mob with her talent shows on Wednesdays. Stanley Williams, the genial proprietor of the lounge, is making efforts to keep live talent going in the spot. There is no cover or minimum in the lounge at any time." Cozy Harris, playing piano and solovox, with Billy Climes on guitar would build a reputation for their unusual arrangements and "new sound" sessions. In 1954 columnist George F. Brown would ask "Is Stanley Williams planning something big for his lounge in Pittsburgh? Nice place that is a good showcase for trios and organs and singers. Right in the heart of things, too, and the place features three bars. Honest."

By 1953 Williams would have three clubs, a pool parlor, and a barber shop -- in addition to other business interests -- and employ 27 people. But there were some tragedies along the way. On April 3, 1949, a man named James Cannon, after arguing with Charles Williams in the 61 Fullerton Street club, shot Stanley's brother three times. Charles would die in the hospital on April 22, and the killer remained on the lam for two years before being identified after an arrest in Cleveland. Then in November 1952, another Stanley's night manager named Mario Squire, collapesed after being stuck in the chest with a beer bottle while trying to stop a fight. Finally, Syvella and Stanley would go through what appears to be a rancorous divorce, with Stanley repeatedly going to court to try and reduce his alimony payments as his business profits purportedly declined.

They Wylie block locations would eventually face inevitable extinction via a large, imminent urban redevelopment project, one that would widen streets and add a Civic Arena that would attract an NHL team, but that would also wipe out multiple churches, jazz clubs, restaurants and neighborhoods, ultimately displacing over 8,000 residents and 400 businesses. Williams was rumored to be negotiating a new location in 1954, but when asked about it elided the issue by responding, "The only thing I am interested in is building up my five-cent deal from seven until five every day and introducing Pennsylvania Dutch Beer for five cents less than popular brews. Other than that, you can tell the world, I am not negotiating."

The New Stanley's Lounge, 1958
Teenie Harris photo 

Williams sold the old clubs to the city in 1957 and opened the "New Stanley's Lounge" in its current location in July 1958. He still featured music, such as "The Fabulous Four." He operated the bar until he passed away in 1977. In April 1980 his estate sold the bar to Fred C. Johnson.

Links: blog.historian4hire.net 

#6147 - Penn Brewery, Pittsburgh, PA - 4/6/2025

Penn Brewery, Pittsburgh,PA

They built a brewery here in 1870, when the Eberhardt and Ober families, who dominated Pittsburgh brewing from around mid-century, merged into the Eberhardt & Ober Brewery. In 1899 they merged with Iron City Brewery and 12 other local breweries and renamed the conglomerate Pittsburgh Brewing Company.

The Pittsburgh Brewing Company operated well into the federal prohibition years (as the state of Pennsylvania was in no rush to close breweries or saloons) then restarted after prohibition, finally closing in 1952 after a long dispute over labor contracts. Over the following four decades the building was largely abandoned, hosting a fruit juice company and furnish storage space behind broken windows and fading trims. But then in mid 1989, after lobbying the Pennsylvania state government to modify laws to allow brew pubs, Tom Pastorius revived the structure with the Allegheny Brewery & Pub, which in 1994 would change its name to Penn Brewery. Pastorius' ancestor, Franz Daniel Pastorius, founded Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1683. The new brewery produced lagers and other German style beers, "adhering to the strict quality standards of the 16th-century Bavarian Reinheitsgebot purity laws."

Penn Brewery was thus the first brewpub and craft brewery in the state, and what Pastorius referred to as "the first tied house since prohibition." While the term was primarily used in pre-prohibition days to denote a saloon tied to a particular brewery or distiller, Penn Brewery means it is the first to have a brewery and restaurant in the same location. It is also now the city of Pittsburgh's oldest operating brewery. Pastorius would sell the majority of his operation in 2003, and then retired and sell his remaining 20% in 2008. The brewery would subsequently stumble in both business and quality of beer while owned by a private equity group, and would even close the restaurant and move brewing operations out of town. Partners Sandra well Cindrich, Linda Nyman, and Corey Little would take over in 2009, starting by bringing Pastorius back as as well as much of the former staff, restoring the brewing operation and restaurant, and producing award winning beers and also profitability.

Since August 1, 2022, the brewery has been operated by Austrian Stefan Wolfgang Nitsch, who has said that "It’s the most authentically European beer I’ve had over here. It reminds me of the beers I stole from my grandpa’s basement when I was younger." (pittsburghmagazine)  The brewery and beer garden will often be packed for events these days, but it was very open when we visited right at noon opening time on a rainy Sunday. The buildings are impressive, the beers are quite good, and the restaurant still focuses on traditional German cuisine. But the most striking feature is surely the lagering caves. These caves actually riddle the entire hillside, and were used for keeping beer cold before the days of refrigeration -- which for this brewery arrived in 1885.  You can view and even drink in the first portions of a couple of these tunnels, which didn't seem particularly inviting on a cold wet day (even if they were not adorned with skeletons), but which were still quite interesting to see, and must be particularly nice on a warm summer afternoon.

800 Vinial St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 - (412) 237-9400
Est. 1994 - Building constructed: 1870
Previous bars in this location: Eberhardt & Ober Brewery, Pittsburgh Brewing Co., Allegheny Brewery & Pub
Web sites: pennbrew.com - facebook - instagram 
Articles: theclio - pittsburghmagazine - wikipedia - phlf - brewersofpa - 150 years of Penn Beers (video) - northsidechronicle - yelp - tripadvisor