One requirement to being a truly great dive bar is
character. The Buckhart Tavern has a
surplus.
The Buckhart Tavern is the main – and practically only –
attraction in the unincorporated community of Buckhart, Ill., which sits on the
crossroads of two Sangamon County highways five minutes east of Rochester,
which is itself five minutes east of Springfield. Look for the turnoff for Buckhart Road as you
exit the east side of Rochester on Illinois Highway 29.
The town itself is little more than a few scattered homes,
a sand and gravel company north of town, a shooting range and, of course, the
tavern. In short, it has everything a
redneck could hope for when it comes to entertainment. The town is small enough to be slighted by
Wikipedia, but proud enough to have its own website (I guess the area soil is
amazing for agriculture). It must be
that same sense of pride that makes the Buckhart Tavern so popular with the
townies – after all, it practically IS the town.
In its original life (dating from the 1870s), the building was a general store serving the small town and surrounding farms. It first became a tavern in the 1940s, and the current owners have been in charge since 1991. Its exterior appearance apparently hasn’t changed much over the years except for a couple of beer signs to leave no doubt that you’ve found the place.
Entrances are on the front and side, depending on which
highway you take into town. Again, no
frills.
From the moment you step inside, you realize the interior
looks like someone decided to build a bar in the middle of either an antique mall
or an auction house. The walls and
ceilings are literally lined with the most eclectic mix of junk I've ever
seen. Seriously, I've lived in the Midwest
for much of my life, and I have no idea what half of this stuff is.
 |
| Is that a fishing net back there? |
Furthermore, you have to love how this bar embraces its
redneck roots. From the homemade wind
chime …
… to the bumper sticker and magnet collection on the coolers.
By the way, those drink prices were current when I took
the picture.
 |
| Don't say you weren't warned! |
The bathroom is appropriately decorated, too.
The examples of the Buckhart Tavern’s old-school charm don’t
stop there.
Check out the wood-burning stove near the front entrance …
… and the wood pile beside just outside the front door.
And notice the classic shuffleboard table? Yes, the only video games welcome here are
those licensed for gambling.
 |
| Trust me, there was pizza on this table, but it didn't last long. |
And then there are the Buckhart Tavern’s proprietary
frozen pizzas – absolutely delicious, and they go great with Stag (what else would
you drink here?).
The best time to visit the Buckhart Tavern is the last
Sunday afternoon/evening of every month, when Lucky Patterson and the Wolf Crick Boys perform the perfect honky-tonk music for a honky-tonk bar.
Yes, the Buckhart Tavern is everything you’d want and expect from a smaller-than-small town dive bar – good atmosphere, good entertainment, friendly people and cheap drinks. Drop by, meet the folks from Buckhart, and enjoy a Stag and a shot. And bring cash.
Yes, the Buckhart Tavern is everything you’d want and expect from a smaller-than-small town dive bar – good atmosphere, good entertainment, friendly people and cheap drinks. Drop by, meet the folks from Buckhart, and enjoy a Stag and a shot. And bring cash.
29 comments:
OMG! There are so many stories you have no idea. That was the store/mail/ meeting point. The bar across the road caught fire and folks carried the shuffleboard across the road. I believe it may be the oldest in the world.Then it became the Buck hart Tavern. There were some stories about the "chickenshit" bingo Some time after that...
Ms.. Marilyn ( and lets not forget Ed Hofferkamp) made it into the world class place it is today. I know many good folks there, and am so proud to call them friends.
Love them all......
I enjoyed this piece for sure! I've grown up just a few miles east of Buckhart all my life. The tavern is definitely a jewel. :)
It was a bar back in the 60's. Back in 91 when they sold it, they were going to tear it down and build new, but sangamon county wouldn't let them. The original structure had to stay intact. There is and lot of history until that building. If walls could only talk.
Best Bloody Marys ever and great karaoke. It's known as a great stop for the traveling biker. The walls are full of political humor and from the ceiling hangs agricultural, hunting and fishing equipment. And yes, the pizzas are really quite delicious. It truly is authentic and a best kept secret!
It was there way before 91! Rumor has it that in the old days they used to play "rooster bingo" on the bar.
My Dad Bill Mayer loved this place, it as his home away from home
Thanks, everyone, for sharing all the great stories! It doesn't surprise me that the Buckhart Tavern was a bar much longer than I first realized. I dug a little deeper (thanks, State Journal-Register archives!) and updated the paragraph about the tavern's history.
Peaceful little place to gather...The Rochester Rockets Football Dad's organization has been officially unofficially meeting at Buckhart Tavern for several years now on Thursday nights! Great pizza, cold beer and good company!
Don't forget about Spence Sidwell Donald P. Rotten Ralph Trader Dwayne Goatley etc.... They kept that place in business in the 60's through the 80's.
Years ago, besides the 'bingo' you could also get a great carp sandwich. Of course, washed down with a cold Stag. Great memories!
I now live in Peoria Arizona but the timing of this article couldn't be any better. Because one of my favorite memories of Buckhart Tavern is arriving/sledding into the parking lot on a car hood being towed of course by a 4x4 truck. Going in to have a beer and shot to "warm up" a bit then HO HO HO sledding back down the road! Now that's a Redneck Christmas Story! Thanks for the article, pictures, and mostly memories!
Back in 90 I was looking to buy the bar n was looking at the Buckhart. I toured the building and almost fell through the floor on the 2nd floor. Knowing Ed Hofferkamp and his real estate knowledge n bar experience I asked his opinion
Ed told me too much money n offer less, which the owner Dave rejected. I saw Ed a few weeks later n he told me that he had purchased the Burkhart for the asking price! Explaining that there was more land with it than he had thought. I'm so thankful Ed bought it as I would never have been able to make all the improvements that Ed did! RIP Ed.
My dad, Rotten Ralph Trader, lived next door to the tavern and was considered by many to be the "unofficial Mayor of Buckhart". RIP, Dad.
We have a women owned and operated indoor gun range right by the buckhart sign.... I go to the buckhart tavern often the stag is cold and pizza is yummers.
My family lived in Buckhart for 18 years and the tavern was always the place to go for great fish, turtle, frog legs and of course a drink or two or more. The tavern became somewhat famous by an article in the Chicago Tribune by Mike Royko when he wrote about the famous Chicken Sh-t Contest that was held on Tuesday nights to stir up business. The article appeared later in the State Journal Register on Thursday, March 14th, 1985 for anyone wanting more detail. The locals are a colorful bunch as my late stepfather, George Powell, was a prime example. He would ride his lawn tractor to the tavern to meet his friends. A photo of him receiving a trophy from then Secretary of State Paul Powell hangs in the tavern now.
Had a lot of fun there and let's never forget Butch Ramlow and his stag beer good music Butch
Definitely need to research the chicken shit bingo and update this article. Legendary
Only attraction in Buckhart?
www.BooCrew.com
Only haunted attraction south of Chicago that is an Illinois Top Ten Haunted House! Nice article, you summed up the tavern very well. Well worth a visit, and the pizza is awesome.
You're right, I completely overlooked Boo Crew! My apologies :-)
I grew up at Burkhart, my mom and dad owned it for 5 years in the 70s. Sam and Hazel Ealey
Everything on the walls is indicative of Ed Hofferkamp's love of small towns, auctions, guns, politics, and humor. You will find his uncle's uniform from WW1 - now covered in cigarette and wood soot and a very old John Deere bicycle. Ed would go to an auction and find something that had to be at the tavern. Look around, everything has a story. If Ed were here still he'd be able to tell you those stories.
My parents ran buckheart from the time I was 4_15... We lived directly across the street. They were the original chicken shit contest holders. They almost went to jail for it. Their were a many benefits for people. Xmas parts for kids. I have a few picks but can't download them. I grew up know most of the old timers, served food, washed dishes, sang with the band and had a blast. It will forever be home to me. Even after all these years. Thanks Pat and Karen Hewitt for all the memories.
I believe I was around 4 when i started going their with my dad. I was out front one Sunday night shooting rocks with a plastic spoon when your dad Pat came out and asked me to walk across the road with him to look at his beagle pups. He picked me up over the fence and told me to pick one. I put her in my coat sleeve not wanting my dad to make me take her back. We were in Roby heading home before he relized what I had. Spot spent many years up and down the river fishing and hunting rabbits.
Watch out if it ever goes up for sale some discount tobacco company will buy it up and make it a smoke shop like they do with everything
Anyone else friends with the self proclaimed mayor of buckhart that lives next door lmfao.
My old shop class teacher, Mr Terrell, used to drink there. We'd try to buy beer there (as teen-agers) when our cornfield keg ran out. They always declined, politely asking us to leave. To which we would obey and oblige ourselves to a few beers out of the bed of said shop teachers truck. Pretty sure he and everyone knew, anyways thanks for the memories everybody, cornfed and bred.
I grew up 3 houses down from the tavern and my dad John Henkelmann bartended there for so many years till he got sick. and passed away in 2003 we even had a benefit for him at the tavern and it was amazing to see how many people loved and cared for my dad
I lived in "Beautiful Downtown Buckhart" for 15 years and the BuckhartHart Tavern was my bar. I remember when the huge tree on the western side was damaged in a storm and we all ran home and got our chains saws to make sure it didn't take out the building. Ed had told us that if the building is destroyed, it cannot be rebuilt as a tavern - we all pitched in to save her!
I was raised at the Buckhart Tavern. In the 50’s and 60’s. People by the name of Kenny and Dolly Collins owned it then. I remember playing out front it the owners son. Then in the 1960’s my aunt and uncle run the tavern June and Lucille Grieme.. I worked in the kitchen every Friday and Saturday night while I was in high school. My parents were customers for several years. In fact my father had a permanent bar stool,known to many by Pot Rhodes.. I could go on forever with the memories..I married in 1970 and only returned a couple of times..
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