Pat Reeder’s Tavern @ 100 – Where Everybody Knows Your Name
By Christopher Miller
Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th President of the United States and was the only President to serve 2 nonconsecutive terms in office (1885-1889, 1893-1897).
Grover Cleveland Reeder, locally-known as “Pat” Reeder, was a tavern owner on top of Hyner Mountain and is the namesake of this article. If it weren’t for Pat Reeder then the tavern which bears his name would not be celebrating 100 years in business next year. If he were alive today he would be pushing 137 years old.
Malm and Margaret Riggle are only the third and current owners of the tavern. “In July 1922 Pat Reeder purchased this spot on top of the mountain and lived here, opened this little watering hole where it was just a bar, no food,” said Margaret. “And then in July 1978 Pat left the business to my father in-law and we took it over in November 1979 right at the height of bear season!”
“I was only 22 years old, I didn’t know anything about owning a business, let alone a bar,” Margaret said.
Though the physical structure of the building has never had any major modifications made to it, a wall was removed inside to make room for additional seating. “We do not want to change things here, we prefer to repair, but not renovate,” said Margaret.
This ability to keep things almost like Pat had left them is very iconic of the interior of the structure which includes a very warm wood burning stove and original hand-hewn ceiling beams. The fish on the wall behind the bar is almost as old as the building itself.
“It was caught in 1937 and is as old as one of our customers,” Margaret said. “That will be on the wall until it falls off…it is our insignia, our logo fish,” which is evident from looking at a hat for sale with the logo stitched on a patch above the brim.
The fish is not the only piece from the 1930’s that graces the walls of the interior. Hanging on the wall in one of the booths is the original liquor license for the business, the 7th license granted in the state from 1933/1934. “They started to do licenses because of the end of prohibition,” said Margaret.
Clinton County is known far and wide for being a remote, rural, outdoors-mans paradise. “We have no cell service here, we like the old-fashioned way of things…we want you to come in and socialize in person, not be on your phone the whole time,” Margaret said. “Meet new people…we have people who come in here from all over the place, like a group of bikes who come in from Canada every summer but we haven’t seen them in a couple of years because of COVID.”
“We do what we do here because of the people,” Margaret explained. “We like the people who we have met here over the years, almost everybody new we have met were folks from down state who moved up here.”
“It’s either I retire and join every organization in Renovo or come here and do what I want, when I want.”
Some treasures that may be on display during the tavern’s centennial celebration in 2022 are the original cash register and a clock dating back to the prohibition days where the face is a ballroom scene and the second hand is a bartender shaking a drink.
Food-wise, Pat Reeder’s Tavern serves up all your favorites: sky-high burgers, grilled sandwiches, fries, pizza logs, fried pickles, cheese balls, 9 or 12” pizzas, chicken or steak salads, chicken and shrimp basket specials, homemade soup, nachos, and mild, hot, or honey chicken wings.
Ah Pat Reeder’s Tavern. The place where “I missed the big one by THAT much” buck stories are told. The place where the fish in Grandpa’s story seems to get a little bit bigger each time the story is told. The place where men can escape their spouses and families for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon to sit with the boys and have a beer and hot wings. And the place where Margaret’s chicken wings are known far and wide.
This beer is for you, Pat.
Pat Reeder’s Tavern
23370 North
Route 44 Highway
Lock Haven
“On top
of Hyner Mountain”
Open 7 days a week
570-769-6637
