Lydia's Bar

Lydia's was owned and operated by Lydia Kearney (1918-1988,) who went into the tavern business after her husband Raymond died in 1964.  

Very little is known about Lydia. We don't now why she opened the bar, how it became a gay destination, or what made it so successful.  At a time when most gay bars barely lasted a season, Lydia's was open -- between its two locations -- for at least eight years.

On July 16, 1966, Lydia's Lounge opened at 10410 Sheridan Road in Kenosha. The Kenosha News called Lydia Kearney "the hostess with the mostest for fun, fun, fun!" The grand opening party, on August 13, 1966, featured music by Chick's Trio.

On June 9, 1967, the bar was targeted by burglars after bar time, and they made off with over $200 in cash.  In October 1967, Ben C. Hopkins stole $700 from the bar and wound up in Illinois State Prison.

10410 Sheridan Road is no longer standing. It's not clear why the building was vacated or when it was demolished.

She moved to 10936 Sheridan Road in July 1969. The tavern, built in 1924 as a state line "soft drink parlor" (and a suspected bootlegging spot) was and still is one of the longest-operating taverns in Kenosha County

The bar was highly successful for its first five years. Unfortunately, it was also targeted by violence.  It seems people knew Lydia's was a gay bar -- and weren't afraid to punch down.

On October 10, 1969, Lydia's refused service to a suspicious man and his two female friends. They retailiated by breaking glasses and a front window. 

On September 6, 1971, three white men visited Lydia's, behaved "suspiciously" according to customers, and left the building. What customers didn't know:  one of the men, 31-year-old Glenn Miller of Zion, Illinois, had ignited a pool of gasoline on the men's bathroom floor.  Five patrons (and Lydia) escaped unharmed while firefighters battled the flames for two hours.

The Kenosha News reported on September 7, 1971:

Mrs. Kearney called the Sherriff's office at 10 p.m. to report she was suspicious of three men in the tavern. 'I think they are going to burn the place down," she said, due to the smell of gasoline on their clothing.  Patrons at the bar told deputies that the men made several trips to the men's room in a short period of time, and when they came out, they smelled of gasoline. Finally, another patron went to the men's room and noticed smoke coming from under the door. Mrs. Kearney tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher but was unsuccessful.  The three suspects had gotten into their car and driven off. Deputies are seeking three white male suspects who drove off in a late model Ford Torino, dark in color, bearing Wyoming license plates. The car was located in Winthrop Harbor early today, but there was no word on the suspects.

The resulting fire caused over $15,000 in damages. And then things got worse. After the fire, vandals broke into Lydia's and looted the ruins of the bar.

The main suspect, Glenn Miller, had broken into a closet near the men's room, stolen the gasoline from a power mower, and deliberately set the bar on fire. And yet, there was public speculation about whether or not there would be sufficient evidence to convict him. 

On November 18, 1971, another fire erupted while the bar was undergoing renovations, and this one left Lydia homeless. Suddenly, all repairs abruptly stopped.

In November 1971, Georgia Finley of Waukegan, Illinois filed a $25,000 suit against Lydia Kearney and customer Kenneth McCarney of Highland Park, Illinois. Finley claimed that while attending McCarthy's party at the bar, a table collapsed and she was burned by hot coffee. The case settled out of court, but at great cost to Lydia.

The resulting financial struggles put Lydia's Lounge out of business. In May 1972, she attempted to sue the property owners (Frank Burt, Fred Herbert, and Elmer Herbert) for $92,000 in lost profits. She noted the lease language, which stated that the property owners were required to restore the premises (including the tenancy of the renter) in case of fire. Lydia argued that neither of these terms had been met. 

For three months, the short-lived Elmer's Tavern (owned by Elmer Herbert!) operated at its old location before The Shack (owned by Bobby Lyons) opened on September 15, 1972.

Glenn C. Miller's case went to a jury trial on August 10,

The Lydia's fire raises a lot of serious questions.  What were the motivations of the arsonists?  Was the bar really targeted by random homophobic arson, not once but twice?  Were the arsonists hired muscle to smoke Lydia out?  Who wanted her out of this space and why? Why did the property owners refuse to repair the bar -- knowing it was not only her business, but her residence? 

We may never know.  We've been unable to confirm the outcome of the arson case OR the civil case against the property owners. 

Somehow, Lydia managed to reopen the bar in Racine in August 1972.  On Sunday, October 15, 1972, a Grand Opening party was held at the new Lydia's (901 S. Memorial Dr.) with 50 cent drinks, dancing, and a free buffet.

Sadly, she seems to have lost her loyal customers in the move.  The South Memorial neighborhood, already in decline, saw increased crime throughout the 1970s. Lydia's had a hard time convincing its stateline customers to come to downtown Racine, especially those who came up from Illinois.

Lydia's closed sometime in fall 1974 and reopened as a straight go-go bar.  Lydia retired from the bar business and from the public eye.  She passed away at home on November 29, 1988, never being recognized for the spaces she created, and likely, never getting justice for the crimes committed against her. 

Note: some contributors attest that Lydia had one child, John Palmer (1935-2018) with Spiros Palmos (1890-?) when she was only 16 years old. Neither Spiros nor John are mentioned in Lydia's 1988 obituary, nor is Lydia mentioned in John's 2018 obituary. We have been unable to confirm these claims.