The Esso Club: A Complete History of a Clemson Landmark

History

The Esso Club’s story begins in 1933, when a small gas station and grocery opened at the corner of Oak Street and Old Greenville Highway in Clemson, South Carolinagardenandgun.com. It was built by James “Jimmie” Stevenson on the site of a former fruit stand, and notably secured the town’s first beer license just as Prohibition ended (reportedly pouring its first beer the day the 21st Amendment was ratified)espn.com. In its early years, the establishment functioned as a typical service station – complete with fuel pumps by the roadside – while doubling as a neighborhood spot to grab a cold beer. By the late 1940s and 1950s, it had already become a popular watering hole for locals and Clemson students. In fact, between 1956 and 1958 it was the only place in Clemson where one could sit down and legally order a beer, which is when the nickname “The Esso Club” took holdtheessoclub.com. One legend says a Clemson man named Tom Lew Ellen coined the name around that time, while another claims that some clever Clemson seniors listed themselves in the yearbook as “members of The Esso Club” to pad their scant résumés of extracurricularstheessoclub.comespn.com. The moniker stuck – even after the national Esso brand rebranded to Exxon in the 1970s, locals ignored the change. The old oval Esso sign remained out front and the place kept its original nameclemsonwiki.com. In the winter of 1985, The Esso Club finally ceased pumping gasoline altogether, completing its evolution from service station to full-time bar and grillclemsonwiki.com.

The Esso Club as it appeared in the late 1970s, still operating with Exxon-branded gas pumps out front even as its bar served the Clemson community. The business continued as a hybrid gas station/tavern until gas sales were discontinued in 1985, marking the full transition to a pure barclemsonwiki.com.

Ownership Over the Years

Over the decades, The Esso Club passed through a series of owners, each leaving their mark on the establishment:

• James A. Stevenson (1933–late 1930s): A land surveyor by trade, Stevenson acquired the property in December 1933 and built the original gas station structure. He obtained Clemson’s first beer license and is credited with selling the first legal beer in town (the very first patron to drink a beer there was reportedly Harry O. Bodiford)theessoclub.com. Stevenson expanded the station in 1938 by purchasing an adjacent lot to grow the businesstheessoclub.com. Under his watch, The Esso Club was born as a combined fuel stop and beer joint serving the needs of travelers and locals alike.
• George “Ziggy” Feinstein & (unknown) Campbell (1940s): By the end of the 1930s, Stevenson had partnered with George Feinstein, who later handed the business to his son Isadore “Ziggy” Feinsteintheessoclub.com. Sometime in the 1940s, ownership changed hands to a proprietor remembered only as Campbell, although records are sparse for this eratheessoclub.com. What is known is that by the 1940s a small bar was definitely operating inside the station – a sign of things to cometheessoclub.com.
• F.H. “Jack” Massingill (1948–1971): In 1948, Folger Herman “Jack” Massingill – a World War II Army veteran – bought The Esso Club from Mr. Campbelltheessoclub.com. Massingill ran the combination gas station, grocery, and beer bar through the 1950s and 60s. During his tenure, The Esso Club’s reputation as the spot for a beer in Clemson grew. In fact, under Massingill the bar gained its famous name and was cherished as a home away from home for many Clemson students (it was said to be their unofficial “club”)theessoclub.com. By the late ’50s, Massingill’s Esso station was a true community hub – part auto service, part social club.
• Francis “Lu” Lewis (1971–1975) and Bob Higby (1972–1985): After over two decades under Massingill, the business changed hands in 1971 to Francis Lewis, a Clemson ROTC instructortheessoclub.com. Lewis soon brought in a partner, Robert “Bob” Higby, in 1972, and the place was briefly known as “Bob and Lu’s Esso Club.” By 1975, Bob Higby bought out Lewis’s share to become sole ownertheessoclub.com. Bob Higby would steer The Esso Club for the next decade, guiding it through a period of growth and rising fame. Higby still ran it as a working service station – pumping gas and doing minor car repairs – but he also invested in the bar side of the business. He expanded the indoor bar area, even building a larger bar counter topped with planks of old Death Valley stadium seats (salvaged from Clemson’s Memorial Stadium during renovations)theessoclub.com. That unique wooden bar top remains in use to this day. Higby also rented out a back section of the building to a Clemson student, Jack Harmon, who operated a barbecue eatery there for $50/month – adding a BBQ joint to the Esso propertytheessoclub.com. Under Higby’s ownership, The Esso Club truly became a Clemson institution and even started generating national buzz (as detailed in the “Stories and Legends” section below).
• Don Quattlebaum (1985–1997): In December 1985, Bob Higby sold The Esso Club to local businessman Don Quattlebaumtheessoclub.com. Quattlebaum’s most significant move was to discontinue the gasoline service entirely. He removed the pumps in 1985 and focused the business exclusively on being a bar/restaurant – essentially transforming “Esso Service Station” into The Esso Club as we know it todaytheessoclub.com. Throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s, Quattlebaum maintained the bar’s status as the prime gathering spot for Clemson sports fans. It was during his ownership in the late ’80s that national TV networks began to take notice – for example, CBS sportscaster Brent Musburger famously paid a visit and thereafter mentioned The Esso Club on-air whenever he covered Clemson gamestheessoclub.com. Quattlebaum also had to navigate the growing popularity of the annual Spittoono charity music festival, which had started in the Esso parking lot under Higby (more on that in Fun Facts). By 1990, the festival had grown too large and was moved off-site, relieving Quattlebaum of hosting dutiesclemsonwiki.com.
• Ron Lee (1997–2003): A longtime employee who had served as assistant manager, Ron Lee took over ownership in 1997theessoclub.com. Ron continued the traditions and friendly dive-bar atmosphere, and under his leadership The Esso Club attained a new level of fame. In 1997, Sports Illustrated named it the #2 “Must See College Sports Bar” in America, and the following year ESPN The Magazine declared that The Esso Club would be their pick to “win it all” if there were a national championship for college barstheessoclub.com. These accolades solidified The Esso Club’s reputation nationwide as a quintessential college sports bar. Ron Lee’s era also introduced new traditions like “Mexi Monday” (Mexican food nights) for summer school studentstheessoclub.com. He ran the club until 2003, keeping it a beloved hangout for both students and professors during the off-season and a packed house during football season.
• Charles Usry (2003–present): On August 29, 2003 – the night before Clemson hosted Georgia in Death Valley – Charles Usry became the new owner of The Esso Clubtheessoclub.com. That very night, history was made (and some traditions broken): The Esso Club served liquor for the first time ever, as Usry obtained a liquor license and poured the inaugural cocktails (the first liquor drinks were enjoyed by a few regulars to christen the occasion)theessoclub.com. Up until then, The Esso Club had only served beer and wine. After football season ended, Usry temporarily closed the establishment to undertake the first major renovations in over 25 yearstheessoclub.com. When the doors reopened in April 2004, patrons found a cleaned-up but familiar bar – Usry had expanded and relocated the bar counter, added a full kitchen, and generally spruced up the aging buildingtheessoclub.com. Some die-hards initially worried he’d made it “too nice” (joking that it might turn into a chain restaurant), but the character and charm remained intacttheessoclub.com. Under Usry’s ongoing ownership, The Esso Club continues to thrive. Longtime general manager Candice Bell (who started around the time Usry took over) has managed day-to-day operations for nearly two decadesgardenandgun.com. Together they have ensured that The Esso Club maintains its status as a living Clemson legacy. (As of 2025, Charles Usry is still the owner, and the bar remains proudly independent and steeped in tradition.)

Sports Significance and Game Day Traditions

From its location alone, The Esso Club is destined to be entwined with Clemson sports culture – it sits in the shadow of Clemson’s Memorial Stadium (aka “Death Valley”) and just down the road from Littlejohn Coliseumtheessoclub.com. On Clemson football Saturdays, the Esso is the place to be. Fans begin gathering early to tailgate in the parking lot and grab a “meat and three” lunch or a plate of chicken tenders before the gamewach.comwach.com. After the game (win or lose), crowds stream back to The Esso Club to celebrate victories or commiserate over defeats with fellow Tigers. The atmosphere on game day is often described as electric – the deck and picnic tables overflow with orange-clad fans, a live band might be playing outside, and cheers from the bar often rival those in the stadium. As one ESPN writer described, “On game days, the place rocks.” After a big Clemson win, you might find rival fans and Tiger faithful singing along together to Southern rock anthems while enjoying post-game beers in plastic cupsespn.com. In short, The Esso Club has become an extension of the stadium on Saturdays, a traditional meeting ground for the Clemson family.

Inside The Esso Club on a typical day: the walls and ceiling are adorned with Clemson sports memorabilia and decades’ worth of collectibles (note the rows of signed hats lining the beam). The cozy wooden bar was famously built using planks from the old seats of Clemson’s football stadium, giving patrons a literal piece of Death Valley as their tabletopen.wikipedia.org. Generations of Clemson alumni return to this familiar setting, contributing to an atmosphere that feels like a mix between a sports museum and a homecoming reunion.

Even on non-game days, The Esso Club is regarded as “Clemson’s original sports bar”theessoclub.com – a year-round gathering spot for sports fans. The interior is packed floor-to-ceiling with Clemson Tigers memorabilia, from vintage photos and newspaper clippings to jerseys and trophies. A roster of famous alumni have their nameplates affixed to the bar, and banners and flags celebrating Clemson championships hang proudly overheadespn.com. Many describe the establishment itself as a living archive of Clemson sports history, where every inch of wall space tells a story. “It’s a museum in here. You can walk around and read old articles, or get a regular that will really tell you a story,” says general manager Candice Bellgardenandgun.comgardenandgun.com. The Esso Club’s unique character – part dive bar, part shrine to Clemson athletics – is a huge part of why it’s beloved.

Importantly, The Esso Club is not just a student hangout but a multigenerational hub for the wider Clemson community. It’s often said that The Esso is “not a college bar, but it couldn’t exist anywhere but Clemson.” You’ll find everyone from college kids to professors to retirees mingling together, united by their love of the Tigers. Its “come as you are” dive bar charm and welcoming spirit draw visiting fans as well; opposing team fans who travel to Clemson for games often stop by The Esso out of curiosity – and usually leave with fond memories (and maybe a complimentary orange Clemson paw stamp on their hand). This welcoming reputation is part of Clemson’s hospitable culturegardenandgun.com. On the flip side, Clemson folks traveling to away games are known to wear Esso Club gear to represent their favorite bar on the roadgardenandgun.com.

Over the years, The Esso Club has earned just about every honor a sports bar can get. It has been lauded as one of the top college sports bars in the nation by multiple publicationswach.com. ESPN The Magazine once crowned it the unofficial national champion of sports barstheessoclub.com, and Sports Illustrated put it on their short list of must-visit venues for college football fanstheessoclub.com. It’s not unusual to see The Esso Club featured on TV broadcasts: ABC’s college football crew even aired a feature on the bar during a Clemson-Miami game in 2005clemsonwiki.com. Notably, legendary sportscaster Brent Musburger makes a point to drop by for a beer whenever he’s covering a Clemson game in townen.wikipedia.org – and he’s fond of giving the club a shout-out on air. Other commentators like Dick Vitale (when calling Clemson basketball) and sports personalities have also paid visits and sung its praises. The Esso Club has essentially become part of Clemson’s game day tradition itself. It’s a place where Clemson’s sports past and present come together – on any given visit you might spot former Clemson athletes or even coaches in the crowd, enjoying the laid-back camaraderie. For Clemson fans, especially alumni, a trip back to campus isn’t complete without stopping at The Esso Club to raise a toast to the Tigers.

Stories and Legends

After nine decades in business, The Esso Club has accumulated a rich trove of stories, legends, and colorful lore. Some of these tales are verifiable history; others have taken on the polish of folklore after being told and retold over the years. Here are a few of the most famous Esso Club stories and notable moments:

• The Origin of the Name: One enduring legend explains how “The Esso Club” got its name. As mentioned earlier, the story goes that in the late 1940s a group of Clemson students realized they’d spent far more time drinking cheap beer at the local Esso gas station than participating in any official campus organizations. Not wanting to look like slackers in the school yearbook, they jokingly listed “The Esso Club” as one of their club affiliations beneath their yearbook photos. The tongue-in-cheek gag stuck, and people began referring to the gas station hangout by that nameespn.com. Whether or not this yearbook story is 100% true, the name certainly was in popular use by the 1950s and has never gone away. It’s a fitting name for a place that became a de facto social club for generations of Clemson students.
• Lewis Grizzard’s Famous Column (1977): A pivotal moment in Esso Club history came in 1977 thanks to Lewis Grizzard, the well-known humorist and columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Grizzard was allegedly sent to Clemson to cover a football pep rally, but instead he found himself drawn into the quirky charm of The Esso Club and its patronsespn.com. Back then, the establishment was still very much a no-frills gas station bar – Grizzard later wrote that it had seating “for 12 people and two pinball machines comfortably”espn.com. He spent a day drinking and swapping stories with the locals, who included a cast of characters with nicknames like “Popeye,” “Punk,” and Jimmy Howard (son of legendary Clemson coach Frank Howard)espn.com. The locals eagerly regaled Grizzard with the bar’s lore and legends, one of which was the now-infamous Billy Carter prank. In this caper, Jimmy Howard (a noted prankster) had once found a beer delivery truck driver who bore a striking resemblance to President Jimmy Carter’s brother, Billy Carter – who at the time was a nationally known beer enthusiast and celebrity. Howard went so far as to hire a police escort and brought this lookalike into The Esso Club, passing him off as the real Billy Carter to owner Bob Higby and the thrilled patronsespn.com. Higby was overjoyed, posing for photos and bragging that Billy Carter had come to drink at his bar… until Howard eventually revealed the hoax after the fake “Billy” had left. (Higby was reportedly not amused to learn he’d been dupedespn.com!) This uproarious story was one of many that Grizzard recounted. When Grizzard’s column ran in the Atlanta paper, it made The Esso Club famous overnightespn.com. Readers all over the South learned about Clemson’s quirky gas-station-turned-bar where the beer was cold and the stories were warm. Grizzard proclaimed The Esso Club “the greatest bar [he’d] ever been in”, high praise from a man who had seen the inside of plenty of barsespn.comespn.com. A copy of that 1977 article still hangs on the wall of The Esso Club todayespn.comespn.com, and many credit Grizzard’s piece with elevating The Esso Club from local legend to nationally known icon.
• “Billy Carter Drank Beer Here”: The aftermath of the Billy Carter lookalike prank took on a life of its own. The prank itself occurred in the late 1970s (around 1977, as recounted above). Amusingly, not long after that incident, the real Billy Carter did end up coming through Clemson, and Bob Higby and Jimmy Howard got to meet him in person at a local venuethetigercu.com. A photo of the trio – Higby, Howard, and the real Billy Carter – is on display at another Clemson bar (Sloan Street Tap Room, which Howard owns) as proof of that meetingthetigercu.com. There was even talk of putting up a plaque at The Esso Club reading “Billy Carter Drank Beer Here,” which was the tongue-in-cheek invitation Jimmy Howard had originally used to try to lure Billy to Clemsonthetigercu.comthetigercu.com. The whole saga has become one of those classic Esso Club legends that new generations hear about, illustrating the kind of mischievous, larger-than-life fun that has always been part of The Esso Club’s DNA.
• Celebrity Patrons and Visits: Over the years, The Esso Club has welcomed its share of famous visitors – and many have left their mark (sometimes literally). The wooden rafters inside are lined with dozens of baseball caps signed by notable patrons, forming a kind of hall-of-fame in headweartheessoclub.com. Among the autographed hats are those from comedian Tim Allen, country singer-comedian Rodney Carrington, college basketball guru Dick Vitale, and sportscaster Brent Musburger, to name a fewtheessoclub.com. (Musburger’s signed cap resides in a place of honor; given how often he’s mentioned the bar on TV, he’s practically a patron saint of The Esso Club.) Famous athletes with Clemson ties have also made appearances. It’s not uncommon during a Clemson home game weekend to spot former Tiger stars – for example, NFL receiver Hunter Renfrow was seen celebrating on the Esso deck after Clemson’s 2016 National Championship, and coaches have been known to drop by as wellespn.com. The vibe of the place tends to disarm celebrities – everyone becomes just another member of The Esso Club when they’re there. For instance, when actor Tim Allen visited, he left behind an autograph on a hat and enjoyed the low-key atmosphere like any other fan. These stories of celebrity sightings add to the Esso’s lore, and the signed memorabilia they leave behind becomes part of the bar’s ever-growing decor.
• Other Tall Tales: The Esso Club has countless other stories that locals love to tell. There was the regular known as Admiral McDevitt – a retired Navy admiral and former Clemson University legal counsel – who would play piano in the bar and lead sing-alongs back in the day, and who (rumor has it) had a hand in writing President Kennedy’s Cuban Missile Crisis speechtheessoclub.com. There’s also a long-running tongue-in-cheek superstition that “if you drink a beer at The Esso Club before you graduate, you won’t graduate at all”espn.com – an ominous warning passed down to Clemson undergrads (many of whom promptly ignore it and head to The Esso anyway). Candice Bell, the general manager, admits she hates that particular rumor, but it’s part of the folklore. And of course, any Esso regular will recall the bar’s unofficial mascots – like “Jeff the yellow lab”, a dog owned by a neighbor who for years would wander over daily to the bar after devouring his 3 PM sandwich from the BBQ joint next door, barking to be let in so he could cool off insideespn.com. Jeff became a beloved fixture (and yes, the staff gave him water and a pat on the head each time). It’s stories like these – some funny, some hard-to-believe but true – that weave the rich tapestry of The Esso Club’s legend. Longtime patron Marvin “Punk” Bodiford (whose first visit was as a child in the 1950s to buy milk with his grandmother) probably put it best: “If you’re going to grow old, it’s nice to do it in a college town around a place like The Esso Club”espn.com. The Esso Club is not just a bar – it’s the keeper of countless Clemson stories, with many more sure to come.

Fun Facts and Folklore

• Oldest Beer License in Clemson: The Esso Club holds the oldest active beer license in Clemson, dating back to December 1933 (immediately after Prohibition was repealed)en.wikipedia.org. In other words, Clemson’s first legal beer tap opened here – and it’s been flowing ever since.
• “Esso” Name and Signage: Despite Esso’s corporate rebranding to Exxon in the 1970s, The Esso Club never changed its name. In fact, the original Esso oval sign still hangs proudly out front. Locals paid no mind to the Exxon name – to them it was always “Esso,” and the club has kept that retro name and logo for posterityen.wikipedia.org. This old-school signage has become an iconic symbol of the bar’s heritage.
• Bar Top from Death Valley: Take a close look at the glossy wooden bar inside The Esso Club – that’s no ordinary lumber. The bar’s countertop was built from old cedar seats salvaged from Clemson’s Memorial Stadium (Death Valley) during a renovation in the 1970sen.wikipedia.org. Owner Bob Higby installed the planks as the bar top, giving patrons a literal piece of Clemson history to lean on while they sip their beer. It’s believed to be the oldest fixture in the bar (aside from the walls themselves), and it’s a point of pride for Clemson fans.
• Billy Carter Letter: Among the Esso Club’s “archives” is a letter from Billy Carter, the beer-loving younger brother of President Jimmy Carteren.wikipedia.org. Billy became something of a pop-culture figure in the late ’70s due to his antics (even marketing “Billy Beer”). While the full contents of the letter aren’t public, its existence is often cited as proof of The Esso Club’s outsize reputation. (As recounted above, a Billy Carter imposter once fooled the bar – a story that no doubt prompted some correspondence with the real Billy Carter, hence the letter.) It’s a quirky artifact that underscores how even a U.S. president’s brother took notice of the humble bar in Clemson.
• Home of Spittoono: The Esso Club is the birthplace of Spittoono, a famously offbeat charity music festival. In 1981, facing rising beer costs, Bob Higby and a group of regulars cooked up Spittoono as a parody of Charleston’s Spoleto Festival – dubbing it a “festival of the redneck performing arts,” complete with tobacco spitting contests and lots of cheap beerespn.com. The first Spittoono was held right in The Esso Club’s parking lot and was a smash hit (or perhaps spit hit). It became an annual tradition each late summer, raising money for local charities. Spittoono grew so popular that by 1990 the crowd could no longer be contained at the Esso, and the event was moved to a larger venue at the National Guard Armory nearbytheessoclub.com. To this day, Spittoono continues every year in Clemson – a testament to the creative, fun-loving spirit that the Esso’s regulars started. And yes, The Esso Club is still proudly associated with it (you can spot old Spittoono posters decorating the bar).
• National Accolades: The Esso Club’s fame goes well beyond Clemson. In 1997, Sports Illustrated ranked it the #2 “Must-See College Sports Bar” in the nationtheessoclub.com. The following year, ESPN The Magazine went even further, saying: “If they had a national championship for college sports bars, The Esso Club would be our pick to win it all.”theessoclub.com Over the years, it has been featured in countless media pieces – from being named one of the top 20 venues to experience on game day by FHM Magazine in 2003theessoclub.com, to coverage in Esquire, Garden & Gun, and multiple ESPN articles. The consistent theme: The Esso Club is not just a bar, but a cultural experience for sports fans. Few bars ever achieve the kind of legendary status and press that The Esso Club enjoys.
• Folklore and Superstitions: Like any beloved college bar, The Esso Club has its share of folklore. One tongue-in-cheek campus superstition warns Clemson students that drinking at The Esso Club before graduation will jinx your chances of graduating on timeespn.com. (Generations of seniors have tested this theory – fortunately, most still get their diploma!). Another bit of Esso folklore is the so-called “Educational Corner.” This is a nook of the bar where a group of older regulars (with nicknames like “Knight” and “Punk”) gather daily to taste-test the beer and engage in spirited conversation, referring to their ritual as if it were serious scholarly workespn.com. The term is used jokingly; in truth the whole bar is an educational corner if you’re looking to learn Clemson history from the old-timers. These little traditions and jokes add to the Esso’s charm – it’s a place with its own mythology.

In summary, The Esso Club has journeyed from a 1930s one-pump gas station to a nationally recognized sports bar without ever losing its soul. It remains, at heart, a friendly dive packed with memorabilia, memories, and camaraderie. As a “Clemson tradition since 1933,” The Esso Club is a living timeline of Clemson University itself – a place where past, present, and future Tigers come together over a cold beer to swap stories and cheer on their team. Whether you’re drawn by its history, its famous visitors, its down-home food, or just the promise of a good time, The Esso Club stands ready to welcome you into the family. As the locals will tell you: “If you haven’t been to The Esso, you haven’t truly experienced Clemson.”

Sources: TheEssoClub.com (official site)theessoclub.comtheessoclub.comtheessoclub.com; ESPN (David Hale feature, 2017)espn.comespn.comespn.com; Garden & Gun (D. Orr, 2020)gardenandgun.comgardenandgun.com; ClemsonWikiclemsonwiki.comclemsonwiki.com; Atlanta Journal-Constitution via ESPNespn.com; WACH.com (Matt Dowell, 2017)wach.com.