Pappy's Place

The location of Pappys Place was built in 1903, and served the neighborhood as Frank Plummers Grocery and then briefly as a shoe repair business until the late 1920s. In 1926, George and Mary Bills opened a cafe in the building to serve the needs of the many who brought relatives to the original St. Johns Hospital, located just up the street. George purchased the first beer-by-the-drink license in Springfield after prohibition ended in 1933, and remodeled the front of the building at that time. The business became known as Pappys Place in 1971 when Paul and Dorothy Ankrom began operation of the restaurant. Today, 943 North Main Ave. endures as the oldest continuously operating restaurant location in Springfield and is one of the last old-fashioned neighborhood watering-holes left. The spirit and tradition of good food, good folk and good beverages lives on, always at Pappys Place! Wayne and Susan Rader, along with Austin Adkins and Heather Carpenter, purchased Pappys Place in December 2019. After decades of service in the North Springfield community, they are continuing the legacy of Springfields oldest BBQ cafe.