In 1945, Carl McCaslin and his wife Nona, a farming family from west of Hutchinson, bought a bar known as Roy's Place at 320 N Main in Hutchinson. They renamed it Carl's Bar and the legend began.

The bar operated out of its original location for 13 years before moving to 22 E 2nd in 1958. The name remained the same, and the legend really began to develop. Carl was known for his cigars, and was never without one in the evenings when he came to the bar from working the farm. The sailors from the near-by Navy base referred to the place as a "Motherly type" bar, according to Nona. She said "The young people really liked the discipline put to them. They never threw stuff on the floor." A remodel in the mid-60's led to Carl's being the first bar in Hutch with carpeting and paneled walls, again, according to Nona.

In 1972, Carl and Nona sold the bar to Pat Egbert and Dan Hacker. Approximately six months later, Egbert bought Dan Hacker out and assumed full control of the bar. He installed a deli in 1978. The discipline may have loosened up a little as according to a April 17th 1979 Hutch News article. "The Reno County Attorney's office has threatened to close down a popular downtown bar if the owner doesn't "clean up his act" ... " The threats were apparently heeded, because then Assistant County attorney Tim Chambers never followed through with the threats to "close the place down."

The bar changed hands twice more before being under current ownership, going to Vernie and Karon Rohr from 1983 - 2006, and finally Dan and Pam Heimerman from 2006 - present. The bar became a division of FYITLE Investment Group in October of 2007. Dan and Pam moved the bar in October of 2008 to its present location of 103 N Main (The Old Strand Theater) after an extensive, several-month remodel.

In 63 years Carl's Bar has moved twice for a total of 1473 ft traveled.

The Legend Continues.