(Jamesport, MO)
Scooter’s 493rd bar, first visited in 2008.
When you think of the Amish, do you think beer? Neither do we. So when we heard that there was a bar in the Amish town of Jamesport, MO, it was time for a little road trip.
As Missouri’s largest Amish community, the horse-and-buggy easily outnumbered the automobile as we arrived in town. We found the tavern on a quaint downtown street, and parked in a small gravel lot next door.
The first thing we noticed was two hand-painted pub signs with arrows pointing towards the door.
The second thing we noticed was a sign we’d never seen on a bar before: a handwritten sign in the window stating that guns are available for purchase inside.
As it turns out, the bar’s owners Jim and Shirley are members of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association. They build their own black powder rifles and pistols and sell them at the bar. They also do restoration work on black powder guns and supplies.
We entered the Jamesport Tavern at about 2:10 on a Saturday afternoon, becoming perhaps the first tourists in the history of Jamesport to come here specifically and only to have a beer here.
Our beer was poured and has happened to me on rare occasion, I was “tricked” by the lightweight clear plastic beer mug and nearly got a faceful of my own brew as I lifted my mug with the force normally required for the glass variety.
Inside, the Jamesport Tavern is typical of many downtown bars in small towns. The jars of pickled eggs were a nice touch, as were the mega-oversized bags of chips. Souvenier bottle-opener keychains and beer koozies were available for purchase. There was also an odd assortment of koozies under the bar for use within the bar.
By the way, before you get depressed and lose your mind because your entire view of the balance of the universe is now in disarray, there is no need to worry. As far as we know, there is still no such thing as an Amish bar. Jamesport Tavern is one of the English merchants mixed in among the Amish businesses.
209 S Broadway St
Jamesport, MO 64648
US
[launch map]
(660) 684-9906
