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Havre/Hill County Historic Preservation Commision Chair Wade Bitz, from left, and commission members Keith Doll and Debbie Vandeberg and former Palace Bar owner Jupe Compton, Havre/Hill County Historic Preservation Officer Becki Miller and Palace Bar owners Mitch and Renessa Galland pose Monday in the Palace with the historic preservation award the commission presented the bar.
Havre/Hill County Historic Preservation Commission members Keith Doll, from left, and Debbie Vandeberg and Havre/Hill County Historic Preservation Officer Becki Miller and Oxford Bar owner Will DeVries pose in the Oxford with the historic preservation award the commission pesented the bar Monday.
The Havre/Hill County Historic Preservation Commission presented historic preservation awards to the Oxford Sports Bar and the Palace Bar Monday for their efforts to preserve local history.
Oxford owner Will DeVries, who took over the bar from his father, Russ, in 2017, said it's great to be able to preserve the historic location while still being able to run a modernized bar, one with history that stretches back to 1900.
DeVries said he's only the fifth owner in the bar's history and he's glad to be a part of that line.
"It's cool to be able to carry on his legacy and also for the legacy of downtown Havre," he said.
The original Oxford Saloon on the corner of First Street and Third Avenue burnt down in the 1904 fire that destroyed much of the town but it eventually moved to the corner of First Street and Fourth Avenue and was rebuilt before being moved to its current location in 1942 by then owner E.J. "Jumbo" Ober, where the bar expanded significantly.
To this day, the bar still has its old shoeshine booth along with the soda fountains that became commonplace in bars during prohibition.
Devries said the bar will soon see another small change, with mural artist Madison Ruff scheduled to come to paint the front of the bar next month.
The commission also gave an award to the Palace Bar and its new owners Mitch and Renessa Galland, who took over the bar from long-time owner Jupe Compton, who retired just more than a year ago.
Mitch Galland said it's been a great experience running a place of such historical significance.
The Palace Bar is one of the oldest in Havre and its back bar is perhaps the oldest in the entire state of Montana, with its signature mirror set up having been constructed in 1903 in St. Louis and originally landing in Chinook where is was believed to have been used in a "bootleg joint" before moving to Havre's Palace Bar in 1933.
Compton took over the bar decades ago from his father, Ward Compton, and stayed the owner until the end of 2021 when he decided that it was time for the next generation to take over.
There was a stretch between 1983 and 1989 when Compton sold the business the first time, but he was still around all the time during those years and eventually bought it back after teaching for a while.
Galland said things may change with time, but the Palace Bar is here to stay.
"It ain't going anywhere," Galland said.
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