In 1866, the Tingley brothers first settled in Big Sandy. According to Bill Snow, in the Gathering of Memories book, his father was partnered with Oliver Tingley in the operation of the Log Cabin Saloon in 1910, though it isn't clear when the saloon itself first opened. The Log Cabin Saloon garnered its name because it was partially built from logs and sat on main street at the site where Pep's is now. According to Bill, the old log framed portion of the structure was removed around 1914 and replaced with a new structure. The saloon was divided into three parts. The eastern portion of the building was a pool hall. The middle of the structure was the Eal Eck Saloon. The western end of the building was a barber shop. The Eal Eck Saloon was owned and operated by Jack O'Neal and Bill Eckhart. Eventually the saloon was taken over by "Pep" Willliford. Pep was a homesteader and professional baseball player. He worked in the saloon before taking ownership, but stopped operating it as a bar in 1919, when Prohibition hit. During the national alcohol ban, the bar was closed and unused until the Murtaugh sisters moved in and lived there briefly (from 1922 to 1924). The Murtaughs owned and operated the Shamrock Hotel, which is now my home. I have been able to confirm that the sisters ran a speakeasy out of the Shamrock during prohibition. The Pool Hall and Barber shop both remained open during this time. The pool hall may have also been a speakeasy for a time. In 1925, Pep Willliford reopened the saloon as a bootleg joint, probably renting it from the Murtaughs. The three buildings burned down in 1925, but were rebuilt. By 1927, Pep was running a bootlegging operation from the back room of the pool hall. He employed another baseball player to run the pool hall for him. The saloon itself hosted several restaurants during prohibition. Pep sold the establishment to George Dunn in 1928, a couple of years before it was raided and shut down by prohibition agents. Another bootlegger moved in and the place changed hands a couple of times before the end of prohibition. After the national ban on alcohol sales ended in 1933, a beer hall was opened there by a fellow named Lawrence Green. A year later it was sold back to Pep, who renamed it Pep's Place. It seems as though this was the first time the place was called "Pep's." Pep ran the place until his death in 1942. His wife ran it until 1946, when she sold it to Bill Marlow. During World War 2, Mrs. Williford ran the bar as a sort of "Home away from home" for soldiers stationed at the "bombing base" which was owned by McNamara and Marlow at the time and is now the IX ranch.
Pep Williford was well known throughout the state due to his business and baseball career. He had two sons, Paul and Dewey. The Gathering of Memories has a great deal more information about Pep's, including some interesting stories related to the brief, but strict enforcement of prohibition against the speakeasies in town by the town marshal.
