On January 8, 2026, a devastating fire destroyed the Douglas Tavern. But it didn’t destroy the legacy, the laughter, or the love this place created over generations.

Welcome to The Diddley: The Story of the Douglas Tavern — an evolving digital archive built to preserve everything the Tavern meant to Douglas, and to all of us who called it home.

Here, you can still step inside. A virtual tour, captured on the Tavern’s final St. Patrick’s Day, lets you walk the rooms and soak in the space one last time. A shared photo album allows anyone to upload their own memories, candid moments, historic snapshots, and long-forgotten treasures. And in the days ahead, we’ll begin releasing interviews with some of the people who helped shape the soul of the Diddley available both as written features and as narrated audio recordings. Originally, we had planned to begin sharing these stories closer to St. Patrick’s Day. But in light of the fire and the grief we’re all feeling, we believe the community could use them now. These interviews, shared both as written features and narrated audio recordings, offer comfort, laughter, perspective, and truth from the people who helped shape the soul of the Diddley. They remind us of everything we’ve lost, and everything we still carry forward.

This isn’t just a place to look back. It’s a place to listen, contribute, and remember together.

Click here to view the shared photo album and upload your own memories

We also want to take a moment to extend our deepest support and condolences to Amanda and Dan, who carried the Diddley’s legacy forward with care, creativity, and heart. The Douglas Trading Post and Douglas Diner were more than a new chapter; it was a continuation of everything the Tavern stood for. This loss is not only structural but deeply personal, and our thoughts are with them as they navigate the road ahead.