History by the Glass Podcast

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History by the Glass Podcast

Your podcast tour of Portland, Oregon’s famously historic and infamously endangered bars.

05/25/2026

Hey, glassamaniacs! What do old bars and legendary local Portland Wrestling hall-of-famers have in common, brother!? Absolutely everything at the Wilshire Tavern.

Making his way to the bar, weighing 187 lbs. and standing a squat 5’9” from Portland, Oregon by way of the Volga River — 8-time NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team champion — and former owner/operator of the Wilshire… Kurt von Poppenheim (née Jake Pappenheim)!

Kurt lit up Portland Wrestling from ‘44 to ‘63. So, what takes more stamina, baby? Wrestling in 1,100+ matches over a 19-year career — or owning a freakin' tavern? Either way, we’re sure Kurt tossed out his fair share of Portland’s saltiest barflies over the top rope.

Sadly, Kurt passed “beyond the mat” in 2003. Here’s to the long-lasting memory of our short king, original sexy boy, the Portland barman wrestling legend — the “Proud Prussian” Kurt von Poppenheim.

(And now here’s just some fun kickass pics from Portland Wrestling’s heyday.)

05/19/2026

🍻 NEW EPISODE!!🍻

"If you smeeeeeeeeeeeeell what the HBTG boys are cookin'?!"

Ohhh yeeeeah that's right brothers and sisters, Alfredo, Nathan, and Producer Bill are BACK with another cage match of an episode of beyond inspired by the former Portland professional wrestling legend who once owned the Wilshire Tavern (4052 NE 42nd Ave.) in the immigrant blue collar turned moneyed NE Portland Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood.

The anachronistic cash only, beer and wine only, crock pot food and snacks only Wilshire Tavern is a portal to the 1930s still inexplicably living and breathing in this beautiful, Portlandia chic part of town and we could not be more thrilled.

And did we mention it was owned in the '60s and '70s by wrestling legend Kurt Von Poppenheim (nee Jake Pappenheim), he of over 1,100 professional bouts from the Portland Armory to Madison Square Garden? And did we live our American Dream by over-indulging in all things wrestling in this episode? You bet your sweet ass we did.

So climb up to the top turnbuckle with us, spread your arms wide, and Superfly Splash into another tall frosty mug of HBTG... wherever fine podcasts (and ours) are sold!

Bar visit and episode recording: Saturday, May 16, 2026

05/09/2026

It has been decided.

One week from today. HBTG returns. 🍻

04/29/2026

"We're all worse versions of ourselves when we're not doing History by the Glass."

The boys return in May.

04/03/2026

DID YOU KNOW?
That longtime SW Portland (unincorporated Washington County) stalwart Dublin Pub was established in 1983...in SOUTHEAST Portland??

Yep! It was born in the corner of SE 31st and Belmont (today the Mai Thai Portland restaurant) where it catered to a rollicking pre-gentrified die-hard crowd of Portlanders who enjoyed regular live music -- STILL a DubPub staple -- and round the clock food.

Were they always polished and genteel in their decorum after the sun went down? Not exactly. But they packed the place night after night and eventually the writing was on the wall that a move was needed after six rowdy years.

(To be continued...)

Or just listen to our latest episode of wherever fine podcasts (and ours) are sold. 🍻☘️

03/20/2026

🍻 NEW EPISODE!! 🍻

Portland, Oregon is a long way from New York City boys, from Boston and PA...but still we love our Irish bars...and we downright revere our proud, independent, authentic AF bar proprietors.

Katie Bullard and Carl Simpson started the legendary Dublin Pub in 1983 -- first in SE Portland where it attained peak notoriety and helped make Portland craft brewing history -- before moving to its current location in 1989 on the site of another infamous bar, The Faucet, in the Raleigh Hills/Deep SW Portland/unincorporated Washington County area of the metro (6821 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy).

In an industry notably devoid of strong, almost tall-tale like women owners and proprietors, Katie (aka "Mama Dub") was the welcomed aberration as the heart and soul of the DubPub for the better part of 40 years until her death in October of 2024.

Nate and Alfredo popped in 10 days before St. Patrick's day to chop it up with current owner (and original Katie Bullard hire) JT Mackey to learn how this beloved bar bridges its generational range of clientele and otherwise soak in the middle aged craic of the place.

Raise a glass and press play -- another episode of has arrived wherever fine podcasts (and ours) are sold. Slainte! 🍻☘️

Bar visit and episode recording: Saturday, March 7, 2026

03/01/2026

For any logo to last 44 years is something of an achievement — but in this “Bar Rescue” world of disposable charm, for a neighborhood watering hole, it’s a miracle.

Created by Sheila Carson in 1982, the Walter Mitty’s logo is Nate’s “most memorable” of the entire History By The Glass project. A continuous line drawing of a mustachioed man hanging out over his own signature. It’s Ziggy meets “Kilroy Was Here” and it’s perfect. So perfect, Nate distinctly remembers this logo (and this logo alone) from his prepubescent days flipping through the old Entertainment coupon books of the late ‘80s.

After gushing over this beauty on air, we were more than honored to hear from Sheila’s daughter, Laurie, who thought it was about damned time her mother got some recognition for creating one of Portland’s most lasting restaurant/bar logos (our words, not hers). An incredible thing.

And loyal listeners of the pod (the “Glassholes”) know to ALWAYS listen to the end of our episodes. This time, we asked ourselves what Jon Taffer’s takeover of Walter Mitty’s would look like? Probably some aggressive “MITT” bu****it (thanks, AI, for previewing that change) that scrubs Walter Mitty’s clean of any and all whimsy, starting with that charming mustachioed-man logo.

02/15/2026

Part old word saloon bar ... part '80s Boston Garden parquet floor (bolt count TBD -- IYKYK) ... part '50s pharmacy soda fountain counter ... But the Mitty's physical bar is one that will 100% stick in our collective memories for quite a while.

And yes, we absolutely LOVE a bar that dedicates a seat to one of its dearly departed local legends. A testament to the beloved community a place celebrates day in and day out.

Cheers Doug... Thanks for letting us keep the stool warm for a few hours. 🍻

02/12/2026

Our trip to Walter Mitty's became an appreciation for the slow cooked bar experience. A recognition that you don't have to be shoulder to shoulder, getting sloppy, screaming at the person next to ya with Panama (or [insert much MUCH more contemporary and relevant high energy anthem here]) blasting to have a truly enjoyable time at your venerable local.

You can just sit...sip... chat...observe...daydream... chill... And there ain't nothing ever wrong with that.

We're sure Mitty's has plenty of louder, crowded nights, but we had a great time letting the bar vibe slowly evolve over the course of our two-hour visit and open itself up to us in good time.

Hear more in our latest episode of wherever fine podcasts (and ours) are sold. 🍻🎙️

02/02/2026

🍻 NEW EPISODE! 🍻

“'To hell with the handkerchief,' said Walter Mitty scornfully. He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then, with that faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable to the last."

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
By James Thurber
1939

Born and raised in the tucked-away Mountain Park Plaza where meets deep (11830 Kerr Pkwy, 97035), Walter Mitty's Restaurant & Bar has provided a languid home for drinking day dreamers since 1982.

And much like the ineffectual protagonist of the classic short story (that very loosely inspired the original bar founders) -- a man who would rather be the hero of his own fantasy world than deal with an increasingly unsatisfying reality -- your three podcast heroes, Alfredo, Nathan, and Producer Bill, mounted their bar stools for another world-saving episode of History by the Glass.

Nominated three straight years for our Audience Choice Episode tourney by determined fan of the bar and pod (Robyn V), Walter Mitty's is what it is without trying too hard to be anything it's not. It's uncool. It's unironic. Despite the name, it's not an homage to much of anything. Which of course, makes it absolutely perfect in all its '80s oak and glass and green carpeted glory.

Bar visit and episode recording: Friday, January 24, 2026

wherever fine podcasts (and ours) are sold.

12/21/2025

The Golden Nugget Bar and Libbie's Restaurant ... Doing business in Downtown Milwaukie since the mid-'80s (as far as we can tell) in a building that's been around for 80-90 years (depending on who you ask).

We sure enjoyed it, but certainly weren't the first and hopefully won't be the last. 🍻

Address

11008 SE Main St
Milwaukie, OR
97222

Website

https://open.spotify.com/show/0Ry2l9MsbKZngB8czCaj7h?si=bdbda93b740c42a3

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