By Sarah Kirkland
Mulligan’s Gaming Pub moved to it’s new location, at 308 East Main Street in Johnson City and opened August 5th. We know that our faithful Mulligan’s family will be ecstatic once they see the new store front, with its 14,000 square feet of space, and all that we plan to offer them. Now that our doors have opened, Mulligan’s Gaming Pub wants to share a little bit about what we learned about the history of our new location.
Picture it: Johnson City, 1908.
In April of 1908, a group of buildings in Johnson City was in the earliest stages of construction. One of those was our new home. At the time it was going to be called the Mathes Building, not to be confused with the William G. Mathes building, also located on East Main. Then disaster struck on May 29, 1908. Downtown Johnson City was hit with a torrential flood when Brush Creek overflowed its banks. By June 3, the Jonesborough Herald & Tribune reported that West Main Street was submerged for about 300 yards. Pictures depicted floods across from Jackson Grocery Company, Market Street, the railroad, Fountain Square and even reaching Science Hill High School.
Even though this catastrophe slowed down the construction process, a two-story building was erected by April of 1909. From 1909 to 1928 several businesses called the then-named “Mathes” building home:
Pouder Brothers Furniture Company
Chevrolet Car Dealership
Shipley Motor Truck Company
City Shoe Shop
Madam Boleyn Beauty Shop
Burying the Past
Rumor has it that this well-known downtown location has not always been an upstanding city building. It was talked about as the scene of one of Johnson City’s darker historical moments. During Prohibition, Johnson City earned the nickname of Little Chicago and was frequented by Al Capone and his henchmen. The Charles Building was reported to be a speakeasy during the Capone days. An even more horrific tale says that it was also the reported site of the execution of 16 men who acted as informants against Al Capone himself. The story says they were executed along the mezzanine wall.
Meanwhile, many of the building’s owners and occupants have reported paranormal activity dating back to 1930. I was unable to find written documentation of any of these events: Capone was not known for leaving behind documentation of his deeds. Physical evidence from the building itself can never be obtained either, as a great portion of the structure was conveniently demolished in January of 1929—burying any tales of would-be murder within its foundations.
Photo courtesy of bcyesteryear est. 1948
Building the Future
The two-story building that stands today was reconstructed quickly between January and March of 1929. It was to be used for the Charles Store Company, then renamed and dubbed the Charles Building. The front of the building still holds the name Charles to this day. Charles Department Store, a kitchen and bath cabinet warehouse sales company, stayed in the building from 1929 until the 1980s. It was then inhabited by the Streets Kitchen outlet until 1997. Next, an art studio called MC Design Studio occupied the space from 1998 until 2005. From 2006 until 2015 it served as banquet hall, reception space, and event venue. Most recently, the Charles was then home to a flower shop on the first floor and dance studio on its second.
History in the Making
Though “Charles” remains carved in the stone at the entrances to this historical building, the relics of its past do not represent the future the building has. Mulligan’s Gaming Pub looks to make history in this downtown historical building by becoming the first-ever Irish Pub and gaming lounge in the Tri-Cities. We’ve moved the retail and gaming portion of our business into our new home and opened our doors August 5th. We plan to have the Irish Pub finished by Summer 2021. To keep up with our progress, you can follow Mulligan’s Gaming Pub on Facebook and Instagram. You can always reach Mulligan’s by email or phone at (423) 406-1580 and mulligansgamingpub@gmail.com.
