Featured Destination - Philipsburg
Welcome to the Club Bar where the sign hanging over the
door proudly proclaims, “Warm beer and lousy food.” Not
exactly a sign you expect from an establishment trying to
lure the discriminating traveler. The sign does, however,
give you a glimpse of the character and charm resonating in
Philipsburg. Stepping inside the bar is as much an adventure
as you might expect from the sign out front. You can, of
course, buy a burger and beer, play video poker and shoot
some pool. You can also find hand tied flies and visit the
veterans’ “Wall of Honor”. All of this while standing in the
warm glow being cast by stained glass light fixtures
depicting local area scenes. It is a colorful place in a
town that is full of color - both literally and
figuratively. My dad and I were traveling from Missoula to
sample the flavor of this small town and maybe a little of
the fudge. When we arrived we stopped by the Sapphire
Gallery where we met Shirley Beck and Dale Siegford. The two
business partners own the Sweet Palace candy store and the
Sapphire Gallery. Shirley was busy, but invited us to join
her at the Philipsburg Chamber of Commerce meeting being
held across the street at the Club Bar. The meeting shed
some light on how this small community, which easily could
have become another Montana mining ghost town, into a
thriving tourist destination. These local business owners
and residents are committed to their town and all the people
who make it their home. As a group they are proud of what
they have accomplished in rebuilding what was neglected and
nearly lost. I was impressed by their generosity and
willingness to help each other.
 One
of the important elements of the meeting this day was
promoting ticket sales on the Copper King Express. The
Express is a passenger tour train that will begin operation
this summer. Traveling between Butte and Anaconda, the tour
will provide historical commentary about the area while
making the 52 mile roundtrip. The Chamber had rented the
train for a dinner tour as a fundraising project. Shirley
was wearing her train conductor hat to remind everyone of
the upcoming event. The idea of renting the train shows the
creative way a small group of people are working together to
support the goal of promoting their businesses.
At the meeting we were introduced to Claudette Dringle. She
and her husband Tim own the Opera House Theater. Claudette
was handing out brochures of the Theater’s upcoming summer
schedule. Since purchasing the theater seven years ago, the
Dringle’s have produced live summer shows featuring Montana
playwrights, in what is the oldest continually running
theater in the state.
After the meeting concluded Claudette gave us a tour of the
historic Opera House building. With obvious pride she showed
us some of the town’s original color in the form of stage
backdrops painted by Edgar S. Paxson, a famous painter of
the western frontier, whose murals also adorn the Missoula
County Courthouse and the Montana State Capitol Building in
Helena.
Backstage and downstairs we also received a glimpse of the
ongoing work required to update and maintain an historical
building. Duct work salvaged from Missoula was waiting in
the storage area below the theater for upcoming improvements
to the heating system. Work was also in progress on
expanding the sewing room to help make the summer
productions run more smoothly. Claudette noted the hundreds
of signatures that adorn the walls and props in the theater
left by actors and actresses from years gone by.
Colorful people, colorful history and colorful buildings are
all part of the charm of Philipsburg. The color in town
strikes you immediately as you drive along Broadway, the
main street. Many of the buildings have been restored to
turn-of-the-century splendor by painting them all the colors
of the rainbow. In fact the town has twice been a finalist
in the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute’s Beautiful
Painted Places competition. There are 48 restored buildings
contributing to Philipsburg’s National Historic District
designation. If you walk the streets of town you are
visiting a place right out of Montana history books.
A fine example is the Morse Hall which owners Dale and Peggy
Pahrmann have converted into the uniquely named Schnibbles.
Built as a lecture hall in 1887, the building served as the
county’s first courthouse, Philipsburg’s Town Hall, and
also functioned as one of the counties finest dance halls.
The exterior painting brings this old building to life and
beckons visitors to stop in and discover what this gift and
flower shop has inside.
 Cast-iron
light standards line the streets like sentinels and
are another example of the community’s efforts to make
Philipsburg a truly inviting place to visit. The
twenty-eight lamp posts were purchased and donated by
community residents and placed along three blocks of
Broadway. They are a design composite of 1890’s light
standards from area towns. Each light is also decorated with
flags or flowers, adding both illumination and decorative
beauty to the town. Each year Philipsburg holds its Flag and
Flower Fling to raise the money necessary for maintenance
and improvements of the project.
Another of the colorful and beautifully restored buildings
is now the Broadway Hotel. Owners Jim and Sue Jenner
renovated the second floor which at various times was a
boarding house, retail store, and company offices. The hotel
now features nine unique theme rooms ranging from small
singles to large suites. Continental breakfast is served
each morning and it is safe to assume there is not a more
interesting place to stay in western Montana. We sat and
visited with the Jenners by the fireplace in the large and
comfortable sitting room. It is the perfect space for doing
exactly what we did, enjoying a few moments of each other’s
company. We shared stories of trips and travel, photography
and videography, teaching and students, and of course,
Philipsburg and the hotel. When we left, my dad had a
complementary copy of Jim’s award-winning pigeon documentary
and I believe we would have had to spend the night if we had
gotten him started on that subject.
 Our
visit wouldn’t have been complete without a stop at the
candy store. In a town full of color, the Sweet Palace is
most colorful of all. More than 850 different candies adorn
the shelves of the store and come in all different shapes,
sizes and colors. Many of the sweets are made right on the
premises and include chocolates, fudge, caramels, and 72
kinds of taffies. In addition to the home made products you
can discover examples of candy from around the world
including Australia, Ireland, and Sweden to name a few. The
Sweet Palace opened on Mothers Day 1998 and has quickly
become synonymous with Philipsburg. My dad and I sampled
several flavors of fudge and bought a pound or two. We did,
after all, have a long drive back to Missoula. |
