If you’re familiar with the popular “A Bar Song” from 2024 and secretly smile to yourself when you hear the line “There’s a party downtown near Fifth Street,” you just might be a Westminster College alum.
If you know, you know, right?
Whether you remember 111 E. Fifth St. in Fulton, Missouri, by its current name — 1851 Underground Tap & Grill — or as Tiff’s Ugly Mug, The Tap Room or simply “The TR,” you happily did time in what might affectionately be thought of as Westminster’s satellite campus … from Thursday night through Saturday night and then some.
1851 is just 1,320 square feet of dim lighting, exposed brick interior walls, wood paneling, pool tables, a small dance floor and a cheerful, U-shaped bar prominently situated in the center of the busy establishment.
Cozy booths with heavy, wooden tables are covered with decades of deeply carved names, dates and cryptic messages, many of which are worn smooth, scribbled over and hard to make out today.
Owner Bryan Hanneke ’09 has a simple explanation for how the carvings originated.
“They were mostly fraternity bond numbers,” muses the Westminster alum, who purchased the business in 2012.
Hanneke was a member of Phi Delta Theta at Westminster and keeps tabs on his local fraternity brothers who continue to frequent the bar. On any given day, he can also be found holding court with countless other alumni, students, faculty and staff from the College, as well as Fulton residents and numerous customers who drive from out of town for 1851’s warm, collegiate atmosphere and small-town hospitality.
Patrons continue to leave their mark on the tables, which doesn’t bother Hanneke one bit. “We just reseal them all the time,” he says with a chuckle.
1947 to Today
The carvings date back decades, although Hanneke can’t say for certain when the tradition began. The Tap Room was established in 1947.
Just like today, the original bar found its home in the basement of the historic Palace Hotel, which opened in 1879 and briefly served as a media center during Winston Churchill’s visit to Westminster in 1946. The Palace Hotel these days is mostly rental space for small businesses.
According to the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society, the hotel’s basement that later became The Tap Room was originally used to display products sold by traveling peddlers.
While the front of the bar was renovated slightly for additional seating just before Hanneke took over the business nearly 15 years ago, the establishment that opened when Harry Truman was U.S. president remains essentially the same.
Cocktails, Camaraderie and a Little Bit of Chaos
Bar culture continues to be two parts cocktails and three parts camaraderie, with a little bit of chaos on the side. Yet Hanneke remains relatively tight-lipped about what he refers to as “lots of funny things” that take place in 1851 during any given evening, once the college crowd rolls in along with regulars and characters who situate themselves on stools around the bar.
The native St. Louisan does divulge that one of the funniest incidents he has witnessed involved students triggering a fire extinguisher that flooded the establishment with copious amounts of powder, forcing staff to shut down for the remainder of the evening.
“I still find that stuff in here, in the corners,” Hanneke reflects with a grin.
Food, Glorious Food
A significant change that has taken place at the business in recent decades is the evolution of the menu. No longer just a beer joint, 1851 now offers a wide variety of spirits as well as a long list of appetizers, nine types of burgers, three kinds of tacos, sandwiches on Hawaiian and ciabatta buns, salads, desserts, sides and a children’s menu, all categorized by train theme.
Groupings such as “Arrival Bites” for Appetizers and “Handhelds on the Main Line” for Sandwiches correspond to the “1851 Underground” name Hanneke chose as a nod to Westminster’s founding date, the College’s ties to London via Churchill and the obvious underground location of the establishment itself.
Keeping the Tradition Going
None of the menu choices, bar hijinks, long hours or day-to-day business decisions were unfamiliar to Hanneke when he decided to purchase the establishment. He grew up in the restaurant business working for his uncle, the owner of Crushed Red, and his father, who at one time owned Mr. Wizard’s Frozen Custard and Yogurt.
Essentially, Hanneke likes to keep moving at full speed.
He logs at least 70 hours a week at 1851 with additional hours devoted to his side hustle as an IT specialist for a St. Louis-based company, where he continues to put his Westminster computer science degree to work.
Hanneke also takes pride in being what he calls “a fun boss,” which helps explain why many of his more than 35 employees stick around, even though most work at 1851 as a second job.
1851 Underground Tap & Grill is a home away from home for employees and patrons alike, especially to countless Westminster graduates. And as long as Hanneke is in charge, the party downtown on Fifth Street will continue for years to come.
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
