10 notorious watering holes, honky tonks and gin joints of Nashville’s early outlaw days
10 notorious watering holes, honky tonks and gin joints of Nashville‘s early outlaw days.
1. Howlin’ Henry’s Hideaway
– Year of Incident: 1882
– Eyewitness Quote: “Them harmonicas burst into flames like the Devil’s own fiddles!”
– Infamous Event: Known as the “Duel of the Harmonicas,” two musicians battled it out to claim the title of the “King of the Blues Harmonica,” but both were disqualified for setting their harmonicas on fire in a fit of passion.
2. The Rusty Spur Saloon
– Year of Incident: 1865
– Eyewitness Quote: “Crazy Jack rode in like he was leadin’ a cavalry charge!”
– Infamous Fight: A notorious outlaw named “Crazy Jack” once rode his horse right into the saloon during a card game. The incident was so unexpected that it led to a law banning horses from entering drinking establishments.
3. Lonesome Lou’s Liquor Lodge
– Year of Incident: 1879
– Eyewitness Quote: “If that hooch was any stronger, it’d be preachin’ a sermon!”
– Infamous Incident: Lonesome Lou, the owner, once mixed a batch of moonshine so potent it was rumored to have blinded a man for three days, giving birth to the term “seein’ the light.”
4. Widow Walker’s Whiskey Well
– Year of Incident: 1856
– Eyewitness Quote: “Davy Crockett himself couldn’t have drunk more whiskey!”
– Infamous Event: Widow Walker once held a drinking contest that lasted for 48 hours straight. The winner got free drinks for life but left town the next day, claiming he had seen the spirit of Davy Crockett.
5. The Gritty Guitar
– Year of Incident: 1890
– Eyewitness Quote: “I swear that guitar strummed its own farewell tune!”
– Infamous Fight: A bar fight erupted over a stolen guitar that originally belonged to a deceased bluesman. Legend has it that the guitar strummed itself, breaking up the fight and cementing the venue’s haunted reputation.
6. Daisy Duke’s Den
– Year of Incident: 1884
– Eyewitness Quote: “Even Wyatt Earp wouldn’t have gambled with the Mayor dressed like that!”
– Infamous Event: A scandal erupted when the Mayor was caught red-handed at a high-stakes underground poker game, dressed as a cowboy. He claimed he was “undercover.”
7. Thirsty Thelma’s Tavern
– Year of Incident: 1872
– Eyewitness Quote: “If mud-slinging was an art, them two would be Rembrandts!”
– Infamous Incident: Known for hosting mud wrestling competitions, the most famous was between two rival gang leaders. The match ended in a draw but marked the beginning of a truce between the two warring factions.
8. Rattlesnake Ray’s Roadhouse
– Year of Incident: 1860
– Eyewitness Quote: “That rattler was more scared than a cat in a room full of rockin’ chairs!”
– Infamous Event: Ray, the owner, once dared patrons to drink a shot glass with a live rattlesnake in it. The stunt ended when a snake bit a man who miraculously lived, but the snake was later made the tavern’s mascot.
9. Crying Coyote Cantina
– Year of Incident: 1858
– Eyewitness Quote: “They vanished faster than a bottle of bourbon at a barn dance!”
– Infamous Incident: An infamous gang used this cantina as a hideout, but when their cover was blown, they escaped through hidden tunnels beneath the floor, which are still said to exist today.
10. The Honky-Tonk Horror Hole
– Year of Incident: 1895
– Eyewitness Quote: “They picked that register clean as a banjo string!”
– Infamous Event: This was the venue where the notorious “Honky-Tonk Heist” occurred, in which thieves dressed as musicians stole the entire cash register during a live performance. The event inspired a number of country songs, none of which returned the stolen money.
