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A Springfield
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Established 1966 — on a corner that’s been pouring drinks since the 1800s.
Some bars have a history. Franny’s has a legacy.
Franny’s was established in 1966 — but the building at 2136 N 8th St has been pouring drinks since the 1800s, making it one of Springfield’s longest-running watering holes. Even Prohibition couldn’t stop it — during those dry years the building kept its doors open under different purposes, only to return to its true calling the moment the ban was lifted. Over the decades it has gone by many names — Krug & Krug, Herbert Cary’s Beer and Lunch, The Horseshoe, Twin Pine Inn, Ye Olde Carriage House, and briefly the Bus Stop Bar and Grill — before returning to the name Springfield knows and loves today.*
It’s worth noting that Franny’s sits on 8th Street — the same street where Abraham Lincoln purchased his Springfield home. Lincoln walked this neighborhood. And before he ever set foot on 8th Street, he was already in the bar business — holding a licensed tavern in New Salem, Illinois in 1833, pouring whiskey before he went into law and politics. Some streets carry more history than others.
Franny’s sits directly across from the Illinois State Fairgrounds — one of the oldest and largest state fairs in the country, held annually since 1853, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The fairgrounds’ western border runs along 8th Street, putting Franny’s just steps from the gate. For generations, fair week has meant one thing on the north side of Springfield: the crowds find their way to Franny’s.
From 1953 to 1974, beer was banned entirely from the Illinois State Fairgrounds. For those 21 years, bars on N. 8th St. were the only place fairgoers could legally get a cold beer after a day at the fair. Franny’s opened in 1966 — right in the middle of that ban — and built a reputation that outlasted it by decades.
When Francis Walsh opened Franny’s in 1966, the building also sat on Business Route 66 — the alignment of the historic Mother Road that ran through Springfield from 1960 to 1977. A 1972 photograph confirms it, with the “Detour / Business 66” sign visible on the corner pole right outside the building. The Route 66 Experience is now directly across the street at the fairgrounds — the only fairgrounds on the entire Mother Road.
Right next door is the Springfield Mile — one of the oldest speedways in the United States, hosting competitive racing since 1910, and home to five world records in automobile racing. It’s also regarded as the world’s fastest flat track motorcycle race, a tradition going back to 1937. Racing legends have competed here, including A.J. Foyt, who ran his first national championship race at the Springfield Mile in 1957. Race day crowds know exactly where to celebrate after the final lap. It’s no coincidence the Budweiser Clydesdales have stopped here more than once.
“You used to look across the street and just see a wave of people coming. You could almost have 200 people at one time coming in here and wanting to drink.”
— Kevin Ausmus, owner of Franny’s 1993–2025, on State Fair crowds. Illinois Times, June 20, 2019.
Franny’s Tavern, 1960s — Springfield Rewind
Not every Springfield landmark gets a visit from the Budweiser Clydesdales — but Franny’s has, more than once. The photo below, taken in the 1970s outside Franny’s Tavern, has become one of the most beloved pieces of Springfield bar history. And history has a way of repeating itself at Franny’s.
The Budweiser Clydesdales stop at Franny’s Tavern, 1970s
In 1993, Kevin Ausmus took ownership and spent over three decades building Franny’s into the neighborhood institution Springfield knows and loves today. For Kevin, Franny’s was never just a business — but it was always a serious one.
Kevin came to Franny’s with a lifetime of Springfield business experience behind him. He started his career at Eisner’s, the beloved Springfield grocery chain. He went into real estate, working as an agent at RGC Realtors — Reavy-Grady-Crouch — in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s he owned and operated multiple White Hen Pantry franchise locations across Springfield. By the time Franny’s came available, Kevin Ausmus knew Springfield, knew business, and knew exactly what he was looking at.
“I talked to a friend many years ago, I said I have a chance to buy a tavern, and he said, ‘Which one?’ I said ‘Franny’s,’ and he said, ‘You’re a fool if you don’t.’ I’ve done good here.”
— Kevin Ausmus, Illinois Times, June 20, 2019.This year, Kevin called last round on his ownership, hung up his bar towel, and handed the keys to his son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Cristi Ausmus — who are proud to keep the coldest beer in Springfield flowing for years to come.
Some things change. The welcome never does.
Franny’s Olde Irish Pub, 2010s
On October 1st, 2025, the Clydesdales came back. One of Budweiser’s famous horses made a stop at Franny’s — a full circle moment that felt like Springfield history tipping its hat to one of its oldest bars. Some places just have that kind of pull.
The Budweiser truck returns to Franny’s — October 1st, 2025
A Budweiser Clydesdale visits Franny’s — October 1st, 2025
Franny’s has made bagpipers a tradition — St. Patrick’s Day, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and a new one started in 2025: Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day. Because when you’re Springfield’s Irish pub, some things just feel right.
Bagpipers at Franny’s — part of a growing tradition that now includes St. Patrick’s Day, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day.
Think you know more about Franny’s history?
We’d love to hear it. Come on in, grab a cold one, pull up a seat, and tell us your story. Springfield’s history is best told by the people who lived it.
*Historical names sourced from: Reisch Brewing Company Charitable Foundation, Springfield city directory research, March 2026 (Krug & Krug, Herbert Cary’s Beer and Lunch); Bobby and Sandy Orr, Tavern Talk: Old Taverns and Tales in Springfield, Illinois (Parker, CO: Outskirts Press, 2012); Illinois State Register, June 22, 1935 (The Horseshoe); Illinois State Journal, April 17, 1964 (Ye Olde Carriage House); Illinois State Journal, September 12, 1962 (Twin Pine Inn); Illinois Times, June 2, 1988 (Bus Stop Bar and Grill). Note: Tavern Talk “was compiled from several sources, many of whom had been drinking.” See the full historical record →
Kevin Ausmus career history: State Journal-Register engagement announcement, March 17, 1976 (Eisner’s); State Journal-Register advertising rosters, 1978–1979 (RGC Realtors); State Journal-Register and Illinois Times, 1982–1983 (White Hen Pantry). Kevin Ausmus quotes: David Blanchette, “Old neighborhood taverns,” Illinois Times, June 20, 2019.