1) It was built in 1839 by Germans.
2) The trolley really stopped there. It was the initial end of the line.
3) The house in the back was built in 1856 and used to be Dr. Bailey’s eyes, throat and lungs office. It was a Tuberculosis Sanitorium, with patients living upstairs at the turn of the Century.
4) It has been a bar/restaurant since the 1880s.
5) Different names include The Old Tavern, the Liquor Room, the Ace Bar, and the Pickle Barrel before it became the Trolley Stop in 1975. The Sassenbergs purchased it in 1995 and have been running it since.
6) The Trolley Stop is haunted.
Robin Sassenberg says both buildings have had some spooky occurrences.
“There are the unexplained doors and furniture moving sounds, glasses and shakers tossed onto the floor; a tap on the back in the first stall, and a blue light that has danced around the storeroom. The restaurant has been checked out by ghost hunters — the most recent being South West Ohio Paranormal group; Beth has personally talked (with the help of equipment) with a woman who died in the Clay Street house,” she said.
7) Bullet holes can still be seen in the ceiling from gunshots in the ’50s and ’60s.
8) At least one murder occurred at the Trolley Stop building in the ’50s.
9) There is rumored to be a huge robbery payroll hidden in the basement walls.
10) The painting on the stage is from a photo taken during prohibition.
11) The Trolley is owned by two registered nurses, Chris and Robin Sassenberg. “We raised six kids here, most of them have worked here. Thankfully, they grew up to be pretty cool,” Robin said.
12) “Our staff stays here forever. Our longest term employee has been here 18 years; many of them are trained in other professions but love working with our customers. They are the reason we are still viable,” Robin said.
13) A former Trolley bartender Katy once accepted a man’s dentures as collateral for a tab he couldn’t pay. He came and got them a week or so later.
14) The Trolley Stop hosted the first Wiener Dog Race in the Oregon District.
Credit: Cornelius Frolik
Credit: Cornelius Frolik
15) Multiple weddings have taken place on the patio, during which one minister remarked it was the only ceremony where the attendees were drinking during the ceremony.
16) A number of divorces have had Trolley Stop visitation listed as a condition of the settlement.
17) They try hard to support local — buy from local vendors, use local products, local beers.
18) They were the first tavern in Dayton to put craft beers on tap.
19) It’s one of the establishments on Fifth owned by women.
20) Chris Sassenberg jokes that it has the smallest kitchen in the world. Robin says staff performs miracles every day getting food out of there.
21) The patio has nine beloved fish named Spot, Shamu, Bumpy, Bumpy II, Zorro, Whitey, Silver, Fluffy and Big Dog. Kids love to feed them.
Credit: HANDOUT
Credit: HANDOUT
22) Charlie Daniels, Joan Baez, Common, Martin Sheen and Dave Chappelle are just a few celebrities who have visited over the years.
23) It’s a popular place for musicians to visit and then pile up on stage to play. People who have played the Trolley Stop stage include Ry Cooder, Jimmy Rogers, The Tin Men including Paul Sanchez, Trombone Shorty and Washboard Chaz, Grammy winners Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, Jose Alvarez and Dow Thomas, plus lots of cool local musicians that built the bar’s reputation as a good place to play.
24) “Our customers frequently become regulars. It’s a community here, we love and help each other. We tried to maintain the vibe that was here when we arrived — I think we carry on the old spirit,” Robin Sassenberg said.
25) The Trolley Stop plans to continue the traditions that have made it successful for the last 25 years — buying local, serving the community farm-fresh ingredients, supporting local business, putting healthy food on plates, and having delicious beers, wines and cocktails served up on their fantastic patio by friendly staff.
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