Speakeasy in Wabasha reopens after 22 years
Aug. 7—WABASHA — Minnesota's oldest historic hotel is reopening its speakeasy for the first time in 22 years.
The Lost Dutchman, a speakeasy located in the basement of the historic Anderson House Hotel, held its grand reopening July 21, 2023 in Wabasha. The Anderson House Hotel is Minnesota's oldest historic hotel and is located in Wabasha.
The speakeasy was originally opened in 1976 by John Hall, the last Anderson to own the hotel. He sold the hotel in 2001 and The Lost Dutchman closed when he left.
The hotel has gone through a few different owners, but the speakeasy remained closed. The Anderson House Hotel was purchased by Superior Stays, a Minnesota based hospitality company in 2021. The five-person partner group began to come up with new ideas for the Anderson House Hotel without taking away from the long history of the building.
Recently, three of the five partners branched off to form Legacy Foods, a company devoted to food and beverage. The three decided to reopen The Lost Dutchman.
"The story that John told me was, Grandma Anderson, his great-grandmother, said that her girls will never grow up in a bar," said Becky Shaw, one of the hotel's co-owners. "So the whole time that Ida Anderson had the place, they could never sell beer or liquor or anything like that. But then after she passed, that's when John went and got his beer and wine license."
The speakeasy was originally named after the gold mines in Arizona to match its cave-like appearance. However, the name made Becky Shaw and her partners think of the Flying Dutchman, the legendary ghost ship. They've added a nautical theme to the speakeasy to fit their vision while maintaining the original inspiration.
Another new change to the speakeasy is the food options. One of the main dishes Shaw and her team are excited about include "dilly bites," a new take on an old Anderson dill bun recipe. They have a ton of old family recipes that they hope to incorporate into their business.
They also will be serving Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs, their own creation. The bar will have a limited menu to begin with while they figure out the perfect menu for their establishment.
Shaw and her team have music lined up to entertain the guests, just like there always was when it was previously open. Mac Cherry played the grand reopening, who also played music in the speakeasy when it was open decades ago.
They hope to restore the Anderson House Hotel's reputation for being a place for Sunday brunch and hope to build a full restaurant on the main floor again eventually.
"I think that opening up that aspect of things for a hotel that has the facility to do it can only make it better for guests that are staying here," Shaw said. "Just because we have that amenity, we'll be able to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner at some point."
The food and drink variety are not the only attraction for the Anderson House Hotel. The Anderson House Hotel recently began holding a paranormal conference annually due to the paranormal activity observed on site. Shaw has claimed to see two apparitions while working in the hotel and describes the ghosts as "playful" and "fun."
According to Shaw, the ghosts are not limited to humans. There are also ghosts of cats in the building that date back to when the hotel had cats around for hotel customers to rent for their rooms.
"There was a salesman and he was coming from Rochester and he was just tired," Shaw said. "He came to stay here and one of their cats kind of came and walked around. It ended up staying in his room and John Hall's wife at the time brought a litter box and toys and whatever to his room and it was like the best thing. He had the best night's sleep ever and said 'you guys should do this, you should rent them out.' And it just went from there."
At one point they had around 15 cats in the building. Even though there are no living cats around, Shaw likes to pay tribute to them by finding fun cat decorations and stuffed animals to leave around the hotel.
The previous owners only had the hotel functioning over the weekend, but Shaw and her team have changed operations back to seven days a week. They also are open year round now instead of closing during the winter. This year was its first time the hotel was open during the winter. The winter bookings were more sporadic, unlike the constant bookings in the summer. However Shaw hopes business will become more busy year round in the years to come.
Shaw has dedicated time into researching everything she can about the Anderson House Hotel's long history and has established a good relationship with Hall. She keeps Hall updated on the building and business and hopes to preserve his family's history in the building while making a few changes of her own.
"I'm most excited to see the smile on people's faces and them talking about this place," Shaw said. "I want to see this place busy. That's what I'm excited about."
