Huntington’s nightlife was active and exciting for decades. The dance floors of Huntington night clubs boogied through the disco era and beyond. Many Marshall alumni have fond memories of a few beers after class or watching the big game with friends. A Huntington lounge even helped launch the career of a major superstar. Whatever the occasion was, there were plenty of places in Huntington to celebrate and have a good time. Rather a person liked to dance, watch a big game, listen to local bands, or just talk with friends; there has always been a lot to do at night in Huntington.
THE RAGTIME LOUNGE
The Ragtime Lounge helped launch the career of recording star/ movie star/ and television star Billy Ray Cyrus. The bar was dubbed “The house that Billy Ray built.” Billy Ray would play five nights a week at the Ragtime and then drive to Nashville searching for a recording contract. A standing room only audience would pack the West End club on weekends.
Owned by Bud Waugh, the Ragtime sat next to the old Pepsi warehouse and next to the West End exit of I-64.
Other talented bands like Cash, The Short Order Band, and Kenny Joe Johnson and Kentucky Rain rocked the bar.
Tragically, the club burned down in the late 90s. Bud did not let that stop him for long. The owner turned an old pizza place that sat in front of the club off of Madison Avenue into an even bigger club. In honor of the The Ragtime and his career of a championship golden glove boxer, he named it RT Champs.
THE INFERNO
The Inferno was a big white building that sat where Dot Hicks Field where Marshall University’s Lady Herd softball team plays now at 2202 3rd Avenue.
The inferno was one of the Huntington discos that had the Tri-State boogieing in the Disco era. The dance floor was huge and had mirrors on the wall. A big silver Disco ball hung over the dance floor. Donna Summer, Anita Ward, and other Disco classics were played by the live disc jockey.
What made The Inferno stand out was a gimmick that no other Huntington club had. There were telephones on each table and each table had number hanging above the table. Patrons could sit at their table and dial other tables and chat with other patrons and ask them to dance.
The Inferno also had a mechanical bull like the one featured in the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy. After The Inferno closed in the mid 80’s
JAKE’S BAR
Jake’s Bar sat on 3rd Avenue and 15th Street in the vicinity where The Grill on Third is now. John Black was the iconic owner of the bar in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. It was the ex- Herald Dispatch sports writer and bartender from The Joker that everyone came to see, .or was it his booming, cackling laugh that everyone came to hear?
The beer was always the coldest in town and the bartenders were quick and friendly. Jakes rocked long into the night. Although Happy Hour brought close friends and a regular crowd, you never knew who would come drifting into Jakes in the wee hours as patrons would spill out of the other clubs around 2 and keep Jake’s rocking until 4AM.
Jake’s was the perfect place to watch Reds baseball (and hear expert though sometimes drunken commentary from John and his buddies) and Marshall football. Marshall gameday brought tailgating and huge spreads of food. Super Bowl was always a big day as well as past patrons always came back for the traditional Super Bowl party.
Jake's was the party home for everyone - lawyers, homeless, college students, bikers, sports enthusists, Many would gather on the deck outback to play horseshoes.
Jake’s was knocked down in the late 90s. John would later reopen Jake’s on 4th Avenue and 14th Street with Johnny “Sarge” Piepenbrink as a co-owner. They would later sell the bar. The Jake’s Sports Bar on 4th stayed open until around 2019.
Although the 4th Avenue bar was very popular through the years, it was the 3rd Avenue bar that achieved legendary status.
THE OLD LIBRARY
The Old Library was a restaurant/ nightclub opened in Downtown Huntington on 5th Avenue in 1982.
The bar was where the old Cabell County Library stood from 1903 to 1980. When the new library opened, the old library building was sold to a group of investors from Columbus, Ohio for $185,000 dollars.
The group invested $150,000 and built it into a theme restaurant/ bar. The theme, of course, was a library complete with many of the same books and fixtures that were part of the original library.
The club had a dance floor and a live dj. For a while, a weekly comedy club was featured with comics from around the country.
The building included a bar, lounge area and game room. The bar was a square island in the middle of the main floor. There sofas in the lounge area. The restaurant served lunch and dinner.
DRIFTWOOD
The Driftwood was a bar located 1121 7th Avenue. It was previously called The Chateau.
The Driftwood played an important role in the 70s. At that time, bars were the only place where it was acceptable for the gay, lesbian, and transgender community to gather.
The Driftwood became known for its entertainment. The club regularly had drag shows which strengthened the LGBT community and increased The Driftwood’s notoriety.
Larry Ransbottom worked there in the 70s and 80s and bought it in 1984. Larry said, “It was a pleasure to be there each day and night. There were great patrons and it was a safe place for so many. At that time, gay people had a bad time from so many rednecks.”
The Driftwood closed in 2008. The Driftwood left a lasting legacy of offering support, acceptance, and safety to the LGBT community at a time when there was not a lot of support or safety.
Stephanie Davis remembers The Driftwood fondly. “When you entered the Driftwood, you were usually met by a woman named Donna who would check your ID and take your cover charge to get in. The downstairs was in two sections, and if you entered the door towards the west you would see two or three pool tables in the center of the room with tables and chairs along the walls. There was an open area in the middle of the two sections, and when you walked into the eastern section you faced a long bar stretching the length of the wall. There were several small TV’s over the bar that often played male pornography. There was one unisex bathroom at the south end of the downstairs. There was one pool table at the north end, as well as another door that was used primarily for exiting at the end of the night (when Donna would be yelling, “Let’s go, folks!!”).
Upstairs was called “The Beehive”. I don’t know why, but that’s where the magic happened. The upstairs was one large open area with a dance/show floor with a mirrored background. The upstairs also had a smaller bar on the north side (Where Jim Hobbs would be every weekend, mixing drinks and telling everyone how beautiful they were). There was another bathroom upstairs in the bac. k (south) of the building. Upstairs was all about the drag shows and people dancing.”
THE MAD HATTER
The Mad Hatter opened on 3rd Avenue just down from 20th Street in the mid 80’s, the structure had already housed several bars including The Jail, Rocker’s,Daddy’s Money, and Bachelor’s Bait.
Mad Hatter had a ladie’s night that was $3 to get in and ladies could drink free well drinks. The ladies were let in at 8. They would start drinking and would already be on the dance floor dancing when guys were let in at 9.
The bar would throw in wet T-shirt contest and male strippers occasionally to enhance its sexual reputation.
The bar was knocked down when Marshall built the Joan Edwards Stadium. The Hatter didn’t miss a beat. It moved over on 10th Street and between 8th and 9th.
The building had held Stony room, Meadow-brook,Rocker’s, and Golden Pond but the Mad Hatter owned by Steve Newman, John Keaton, and other investors, created a lot of lasting memories and even a few marriages for those who met there.
The club restated open and popular until around 1997when it burned down on the same night as The Ragtime did.
THE DOUBLE DRIBBLE
In the early 80's, Vince and Stephanie Carter took a plain no frills bar located at 320 20th Street (part of the parking lot for the football stadium now) and packed it wall to wall every weekend with Marshall students. The students slammed down huge “Slam Dunk“ drafts for a dollar.
The “Dribble” was easily the most popular bar on campus in the early 80’s. They sold a record 10 kegs of beer in one day-the day WVU came to Huntington to play basketball (for the first time) to lose to The Herd. The bar was jam packed from noon until 1-2 am when the beer finally ran out!
The “Dribble” became so crowded they had to employ 3 bouncers on weekends, mostly Marshall football players like Jim Devine, Terry Echols, Robbie Pasko and others.
The “Dribble” was the place where The Herd football and basketball players “entertained” recruits who felt right at home with former Marshall Greats pictures on the walls (like current MU basketball coach Danny D’antoni, his brother Mike, Russell Lee and football greats like All American running back Jackie Hunt, QB Ted Shoebridge, a Pike “brother of Vince, and many other greats had their names engraved on the green and white stools . Even Head Coach Sonny Randle would stop by on occasions.
In a bit of irony, Stephanie and Vince met at another popular campus bar, “Boneys The Hole in The Wall” when Vince worked their in the mid 70’s.
Vince, from Princeton, is a MU graduate and Stephanie, a former WVU cheerleader got her undergraduate degree at WVU and her masters degree from Marshall.
MYCROFT’S BAR AND GRILL
For twenty years Mycroft’s Bar and Green stood on the corner of Third Avenue and 20th Street. It closed in 2004 when Marshall University purchased the property and demolished the building and it is currently a parking lot.
The location of the bar made it popular with Marshall sports fans due to it being close to Joan Edwards Stadium where The Thundering Herd played football and close to The Henderson Center where Marshall’s basketball team played home games. Many fans would frequent the bar before and after the games and to watch games on television when they were on the road.
Many Marshall students and professors would gather after classes. It was a popular meeting place for Marshall students.
The legend is that the bar was named after Sherlock Holmes older and smarter brother Mycroft’s. A Mycroft’s logo featured a Sherlock Holmes type hat.
The physical appearance of the bar was stunning. The outside was blue paneling and a large brown door. Inside the bar featured exposed brick walls. The bar was huge and was hand-carved out of wood. There were several wooden tables and chairs in front of the bar.
Mycroft’s served food and had a steady lunch and dinner crowd.
DESOTO’S
DeSoto’s was located in The KMart Plaza in the Pea Ridge part of Huntington Route 60. DeSoto’s was marketed to attract a mature but nostalgic crowd.
As soon as patrons walked in the door, they were greeted by a doorman who checked their IDS and collected a cover charge. A white and light blue 58 DeSoto was the next thing a customer would see as they walked in.
As they walked ahead, there was a bar against the wall to the left. Another bar was against the wall, all the way to the right.
The carpet was burnt red and there were tables and chairs scattered throughout the club. The dance floor was in the middle of the club. It was lit up and was black and white tile. Behind it was a raised DJ booth.
The bathrooms were in the back of the bar with a pool table by the women’s bathroom.
The pictures and decor on the walls were 50s themed. The bouncers wore white tuxedo shirts and black ties.
The live DJs played dance music, disco, and old 50s dance songs like “Rock Around The Clock” and “Rockin’’ Robin”.
DeSoto’s opened in the mid 80s and stayed open until around 2006.
THE VARSITY
The Varsity was on 20th Street where The Joan Edwards Stadium now stands. Jack Riggs had owned The El Gato in the alley across the street. When El Gato was forced to close due to imminent domain, Jack opened The Varsity in 1964. For years it was called by both names then gradually The El Gato fell off and it just became know as The Varsity.
In 1974, the bar was bought by Dominic Sellitti. He owned it until 1983 when it was sold to a 20 year old Herb Stanley.
The Varsity, Double Dribble, and Boney’s Hole in the wall were the big Marshall University bars in the 80’s. Patrons would walk up and down the street to the three bars.
Varsity was a beautiful bar. The club actually went around the bar which was like an island. The walls were made with exposed bricks. There were two pool tables and two foosball tables.
Herb incorporated a lot of fun into the bar with plenty of promotions. On Labor Day, he had Beach Night. He brought in sand, sea shells and other decorations in and dressed the bar up like a beach.
He had a Pony Night and sold over thousands “Pony Bottles” of beer. He laughed that he ran out of space to throw the empties and was running up and down the alley trying to find somewhere to throw the bottles.
The Varsity had to be vacated by January 1, 1990 Herb was told “ vacate it or we will bulldoze it with you inside of it.”
Herb moved to 4th Avenue and The Union was born. It is still open in its second location at 1125 4th Avenue.
The Varsity will always be a legend to Marshall alumni.