Scoot Inn to the 21st Century
History Spotlight
Words by Jessica Devenyns
With the fourth oldest liquor license in the city and the accolade of oldest continuously running beer joint in central Texas, Scoot Inn is a watering hole which does not seem to run dry.
For 147 years, Scoot Inn has cultivated a libation-filled history, serving everyone from transient truckers to next-door neighbors. Its humble beginnings hearken to the wild, wild west where it served as a railroad saloon. When Sam and Nancy Wilson purchased the property a few decades later…” they turned the establishment into a respectable grocery store, yet its back room seemed unable to let go of its whiskey-tinged history. Travelers, rough necks, ranch hands, and outlaws had a knack of rolling by the general store for a jug of beer, a bite of food, and, if they were lucky, a few blocks of ice to relieve the rays of the scorching Texas sun.
Eventually, stove-pipe hats, sombreros, and derbies were replaced by the bare heads of the 1920s, whose free-flowing spirits were often in direct opposition to the regulations of Prohibition. Naturally, they catered to these revelers and operated as a bootlegging business and gambling house between intermittent shutdowns by local law enforcement.
It took until 1940, however, for this bar to officially acquire the moniker “Scoot Inn” when Scoot Ivy and his buddy Red opened Red’s Scoot Inn. During this 40-year iteration of Scoot Inn, the establishment didn’t alter its mission statement and served railroad men and factory workers who came in search of a ‘cold one’ after a long day’s work.
As Austin grew, so did Scoot Inn’s ventures. In 2007, Jim Stockbauer, who owned the Longbranch Inn on E. 11th Street, purchased the property and officially inducted it into Austin’s growing list of music venues. Over the years, the saloon kept a low profile as its original 1889 façade masked the parade of notable acts that came through to perform at this long-time Austin watering hole. Despite its best efforts, however, the old bones of this institution could not escape notoriety forever.
In 2017, C3 Presents purchased the space and gave it a modest makeover in keeping with its historic charm. A neighborhood stalwart, much of what was beloved about the bar remains the same. Today patrons can walk in and still tap on the honky-tonk piano sitting in the corner as a bartender slings a drink. The melody between old and new drifts through the air as couples dance just as they have for generations.
Contact:
1308 E 4th St.
scootinnaustin.com
