#2197 - Town Bar and Grill, Mansfield, WA - 5/27/2013

Town Bar and Grill, Mandfield, WA

The folks at the Town Bar and Grill said that the place was established in 1902, and one person told me that it was previously called the Town Tavern (or Town Tav) and that this had been the name all the way back to its founding. But I have not been able to find any historical information to confirm this, and there are reasons to be suspicious. 1902 would have pre-dated the railroad and the boom days, as well as a couple devastating fires. Further, Douglas County tax records indicate that the current building was constructed in 1910, and by that year Douglas County had voted itself completely dry.

Perhaps there was a saloon in this location that preceded the current building and country prohibition, or perhaps it was the "Town" buffet or cafe or something or other at the time and through prohibition.  At minimum it appears to be a very old bar, like the stacks of large boulders that dot the surrounding grain fields. The bar portion, which has a quite old back bar, offers typical neighborhood dive drink options, but at least during the day the feel of the entire place is more like a friendly care. The people there are nice, although they were apparently looking to move on when we visited, as a boy on tricycle out front greeted us by asking if we were going to buy the place from his grandmother.

Adam F., a volunteer with the mansfieldwashington.org site, informed me of some of the more recent history, noting that "... in the early 1980-90's it was owned by life long residents Gene and Lydia Goll. At that time it was known as the Town Tav.... In the mid to late 90's, they sold it to a couple by the name of Lonnie and Jody (do not know their last names) who then changed the name to the "Town Bar and Grill". Lonnie and Jody owned it for a few years before they sold it and moved to Roslyn, where they owned another small bar. Dave and Tammy Angus purchased it from Lonnie and Jody, and in the mid 2000's, Dave and Tammy sold it to the current owners, Gerald and Lynn Poole."

Mansfield, Wash

Reserving the Rigt - Town Tavern, Mansfield, WA

Back bar label, Town Tavern, Mansfield, WA

34 Main St, Mansfield, WA 98830 - (509) 683-1921
Est. ? - Building constructed: 1910