Blackhorse Pub & Brewery celebrates 32 years of making memories, from barback to Tap Room

It’s March. Spring is in the air. St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner. And the Blackhorse is turning 32. My wife Sherri and I opened our pub on March 17, 1992.

We didn’t pick St. Patrick’s Day on purpose. We were trying to get the doors open as soon as we could because we were out of money. We wanted more of a quiet opening so we could practice our operations some. But a young reporter at the Leaf-Chronicle had been watching our remodel process and stopping by regularly to check progress. He wrote a story about a new restaurant opening downtown and it was published right before we opened. We got run over. We didn’t have a clue what we were doing. Opening a pub on St. Patrick’s Day is a sure-fire way to find that out.

Big idea met with big laughs

We were just glad to be getting open. I had just left the Army, and Sherri had been a stay-at-home mom. Our goal was to open a small pub where you could get a good burger and a beer in a nice atmosphere. It took money to get open, and we didn’t have much. We went to all the local banks and pitched our idea. When we shared our ideas about opening a restaurant downtown, many of them openly laughed.

We ended up borrowing money from my great aunt, grandmother, parents and Visa. We maxed out every credit card we could get our hands on. I doubt we could have gotten a loan to open a restaurant anywhere in town. But opening a new business of any type in downtown in 1992 got the same reaction from a lot of people. They laughed.

The antique barback

As we were trying to borrow some money to finance the startup of the Pub, we were doing the other small business things like getting insurance. A lot of people ask where we got the beautiful antique barback that is the cornerstone of the Pub. Shopping for insurance got us the barback. We went to Walton Smith of Mann, Smith and Cummings Insurance to talk about insurance. Walton said we were crazy too.

But Walton was supportive, and he said, “If you are going to open a bar downtown, you need to get this antique barback that used to be in a place called Jeremiah’s.” He went into a great description of this beautiful barback that would be a perfect fit. He said a fellow named George Albright had it and gave us a number for George.

George was a Clarksvillian who was living in Nashville at the time. We got George to show us the barback and give us some history. He said it was originally from Chicago, made in the 1880s, but that it had been in the Dixie Motel in downtown Shelbyville for most of the 1900s. He bought it at an auction when they closed that hotel in the ’80s and brought it to Clarksville.

George told us he would be glad for us to take it back to Clarksville. But he was in the process of selling it and wanted $10,000. We told George we couldn’t afford $10,000. We knew it would be a perfect fit. But that was a lot of money, and we just couldn’t afford it. George basically said, “Take it to Clarksville and pay me when you can.” It took about two years to pay George off.

So, Walton Smith and George Albright helped set the tone for the Pub with that barback. It seems like it was meant to be in that spot. It survived the tornado and the fire. It’s been quite some time since Walton led us to that barback, but he was in the Pub with his daughter and grandkids about two weeks ago to see it still there setting the tone.

Pub built on memories

Over 32 years in the pub business, there are many ups and downs and a lot of stories that can be told. It has been challenging and rewarding. The Pub has evolved in many ways. It is a little bigger than it was when we first opened. We started brewing our own beer in 1995. It is more than just a place for a burger and a beer. It now has a lot of ties into the community that span generations. It has been the place for many significant moments in people’s lives. We have done wakes, weddings, hail and farewells, parties of all types. We have families come in with parents telling their kids, “This is where we met.” (They may not be telling the kids all the details of late nights in the Tap Room, though.)

Clarksville has changed a lot over 32 years. The whole community just keeps growing. That certainly helps. We joke that we have seen wind, flood, disease (Covid) and fire, but the Pub just keeps on going. We are thankful for the community who keep us going.

Our first menu had an Irish toast on it: “Céad Míle Fáilte.” It means, “One Hundred Thousand Welcomes.” That seems appropriate after 32 years. We are looking forward to 32 more.

Jeff Robinson, owner, Blackhorse Pub & Brewery

St. Patrick’s Day celebration

The Blackhorse will celebrate with St. Patrick’s Day anniversary events, including an Anniversary Party in the Tap Room on Saturday, March 16, for ages 21 and up. Doors open at 10 p.m., with music and drink specials. Plus, they’ll serve traditional corned beef and cabbage all day Sunday, March 17.

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