Foodie Tour offers Class of '67 unique look at restaurants, town

Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Banner Graphic/ERIC BERNSEE As part of the first Greencastle Foodie Walking Tour, members of the Greencastle High School Class of 1967 (clockwise from bottom left,) Linda Huber, Glenda Williams and her husband receive their Mini-Hangover tenderloins at Moore’s Bar as served by waitress Ashley Hugues.

The Greencastle High School Class of 1967, celebrating its 50th reunion, got a glimpse of the past while enjoying a taste of the future this past weekend.

Thirty members of the 50-year class -- visiting from such diverse places as Maryland, Washington State, Florida, Iowa, New York City, Chicago, Carmel and Bloomington -- took part in the first-ever “Taste of Greencastle Historical Foodie Walking Tour,” incorporating stops at five Greencastle restaurants in the process.

Organizer and Class of 1967 spokesman Mike Harmless, former two-term mayor of the city, called the event “a class project” of the group, noting that “in celebration of our 50th reunion, our class decided to give back to Greencastle. This wonderful city gave all of us so much as we grew up here.

Banner Graphic/ERIC BERNSEE Class of 1967 representative Mike Harmless (right) points the way to refreshments at Tap House 24 to classmates (from left) Sharon Higgins, Mike Troyer, Diana Buis Laybold and Glenda Williams during their stop on the inaugural Greencastle Foodie Walking Tour.

“I want the Class of ‘67 to continue to get credit for this and hope that other classes might do something similar.”

The five downtown restaurants participating -- in order on the tour -- were the Inn at DePauw Fluttering Duck, Tap House 24, Moore’s Bar, Wasser Brewing and Almost Home/Swizzle Stick, each providing a fun food item and a signature drink.

Walking tour participants paid $30 each for the privilege, which Harmless envisions as a future fundraising opportunity for local non-profit programs.

Banner Graphic/ERIC BERNSEE asser Brewery owner Chris Weeks (right) explains his brew pub operation to former Greencastle Mayor Mike Harmless and other members of the Greencastle High School Class of 1967 during the inaugural Foodie Walking Tour.

The tour, however, wasn’t just about eating and drinking. At each stop, Harmless offered a bit of history to chew, facts about each building researched by Putnam County Library archivist Tony Barger with added input from County Historian Larry Tippin, Jinsie Bingham, Ken Eitel, Dick Sunkel, Dick Asbell, Kit Newkirk, Dennis Furr, Carolyn Hammond and Darla Zeis.

For example, the building now housing Tap 24 was once the site of Cooper Bros. Livery Stable -- the last active Greencastle livery stable -- in 1890.

In later years it became a furniture and undertaking business until it was sold to S.C. Prevo and Willard Sunkel became Prevo and Sons furniture store manager before Horace Link took over the entire building from 1930-1998.

Now owned by 1964 DePauw University graduate and DPU Board of Trustees member Lee Tenzer, the neoclassical structure opened as Tap House 24 a year ago Friday, General Manager Damita Timmons told visitors as she made The Daisy cocktails with Hotel Tango gin.

Across South Indiana Street at Moore’s Bar, Harmless recounted how the building was a music store from 1877 to 1934, first owned by Immanuel Marquis and then F.C. Newhouse, in what was known as “an elegant little building.”

But in January 1934 it became Hoffman’s Bar, then Dutch Carlin’s Bar and finally in 1950 Moore’s Bar when Carlin’s sister, Inez Moore, owned it. Jay and Jackie Hopkins bought the bar and its Italianate building in 2011.

Calling it “another significant building downtown,” Harmless also expressed a little sentimentality toward Moore’s, and with good reason.

“The reason this place is so special,” he said, “is this is where (wife) Susie and I had our second date.”

The tour then moved on along Indiana Street but not before Harmless pointed out the new eating places along the way, including Scoops ice cream parlor owned by Bill and Joanie Earl; Completely Nuts and Candy Co., owned by Lynda Dunbar; Starbucks; and Bridges, the new Italian food and pizza establishment on which DePauw Board of Trustees President Judson Green is putting the finishing touches in the middle of the block on the east side of the square.

At Wasser Brewery at 102 E. Franklin St., Harmless introduced owner and brewmaster Chris Weeks, who opened the brew pub in 2016.

The site, last used as the NAPA store by Bill Hamm and his father Jack before him, has a history of famous Greencastle names.

Joanna Eitel, a GHS Class of 1967 member, read to the group about its origins and the involvement of the Eitel family as the building was once a greenhouse for the local florist.

And in 1935, Roscoe Scott, father of Jinsie Bingham, opened Scott’s Garage on the site, later turning it into a Packard car dealership in 1946. Scott operated it until 1957 or 1958, when Walter Ballard took over through 1960.

“What’s interesting,” Harmless interjected, “is this building has come full circle,” noting that John Eitel emigrated from Bavaria and worked in an Indianapolis brewery before coming to Greencastle.

The final stop on the Foodie Walking Tour was at The Swizzle Stick, 21 W. Franklin St., on the north side of the square.

“This is a really special place,” Harmless told the group, “because Gail (owner Smith) really started the whole thing that’s going on downtown.”

Speaking of The Swizzle and Smith’s adjacent Almost Home restaurant that opened Sept. 13, 1990, Harmless added, “It’s just wonderful to have this as part of our downtown.”

The building, Harmless said, is the second oldest in the city. It was built in 1836 by Gen. Thomas Orr, the head of the local militia, and soon after saloons occupied most of the north side of the square, except for the 19 W. Franklin site (now the bigger Almost Home dining room), which was Kiefer’s Bakery and remained as such from 1887-1923, research showed.

With saloons congregated on the north side of the square, “the reputation of that side of the square became so bad,” Harmless said, “no lady would walk on the north side.”

Smith said she had no idea that was local lore until she advised her aunt and uncle that she and Sara Malayer were going to open a tea room on that side of the square.

“They said, ‘Oh, Gail Ann, no!’ Women didn’t go on the north side of the square.

“That was unbeknownst to me,” Smith said, “but we went ahead and did it, and 27 years later, I’m still here.”

* * *

Food and adult beverages provided for the Greencastle Foodie Walking Tour were:

-- Inn at DePauw Fluttering Duck: Mini Boulder Burgers in a fried potato crust and iced spiced bourbon peach tea.

-- Tap House 24: Beer cheese soup and soft pretzel bites with Murphy Ale by Brew Link Brewing, Plainfield, Chateau Thomas moscato or The Daisy signature cocktail.

-- Moore’s Bar: “Mini Hangover” fresh-breaded tenderloins with blackberry Sangria.

-- Wasser Brewing: Meat and potato croquette with English Pale Ale.

-- Almost Home/Swizzle Stick: Dessert Shooters with Prosecco.

Comments
View 3 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • What a wonderful event for both downtown Greencastle and Class of 1967.

    -- Posted by Nit on Wed, Aug 16, 2017, at 7:57 AM
  • Roscoe Scott had a small restaurant on the North side of the square a long time ago. I remember my dad taking me there to eat. As I remember it was not very big but, I do remember Roscoe who seemed bigger than life to a small kid like me.

    -- Posted by donantonioelsabio on Wed, Aug 16, 2017, at 9:30 AM
  • I adore this! such a great idea....I hope the class of 1971 will keep this in mind and maybe something similar for our 50th.....

    miss my peeps!

    Jeri Ann Ashorn

    -- Posted by Jeriann on Thu, Aug 17, 2017, at 1:42 PM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: