The original Tinkers Creek Tavern was built in 1902 and started out as a home, with a 15’ x 15’ roadside stand in what is now part of the kitchen. While renovating and listening to stories from locals and former patrons, it has been determined this tavern has quite a colorful past! Did you know the liquor license for the tavern is one of the oldest on record in the state of Ohio? Also, it was not until the most recent renovations in 2007 in which the tavern had a sewer! The tavern was mostly known as a “run down place”. There were no windows and few operating lights which made it a dark, smoke filled place which some say had quite an odor. The pockets of the pool table had holes in them so the balls would fall into a box on the floor and the jukebox occasionally worked. There is evidence of bullet holes in the basement; it is said that patrons would gather down there for drinks and target practice. One favorite target is on display behind the bar. It is a metal cast of the old Blatz Beer figure with at least thirty bullet holes through it! This is the only physical reminder of the taverns past.
There were several renovations to the tavern throughout the years. The original kitchen area was enlarged twice and the part of the structure which is the current bar/dining area was added on sometime in the early 1930’s. Other areas of the building were added on prior to 1945. There is also evidence the tavern survived two fires. Current renovations in 2007 stripped the tavern to the basic structure, eliminating part of the addition in the 1930’s. This enabled the creation of the patio area. Every part of the structure, including all the utilities, were restored, fixed, or replaced during its latest restoration.
