Local families to reopen historic Reily restaurant, amphitheater

Two local families will reopen a historic restaurant and amphitheater in Reily Township that closed more than four years ago.

‘Good memories’

Brannon Osterberger grew up in Darrtown and had several friends living in Reily. He said he remembers the Spring Hill Tavern on Main Street – which he believed to be established in 1859 – and when it became the Indian Creek Tavern, saying he’d been there hundreds of times, watching bands like Thunder Bay and his dad’s band, Red Ice, perform.

“A lot of good memories there, definitely,” Osterberger said.

Bryon Spencer moved to Oxford a few years back when he noticed the closed Indian Creek Tavern and asked his coworker, Osterberger, about it. He told Osterberger that if he ever heard the property was available, he’d be interested in it.

“He said he was, too,” Bryon Spencer said. “So all of a sudden, when it became available, he came to my office and said, ‘Hey, it's going up for sale.’ So we took the plunge.”

The two decided to keep the name when they purchased the restaurant in October 2025, as it had become familiar and loved around Reily. Bryon Spencer said the equipment at the property was already in good shape, but there were repairs, cleaning and some upgrades that needed to be made.

A long history 

An archived article from the former Oxford Press from 2007 recorded the moment the Spring Hill Tavern was renovated and reopened as the Indian Creek Tavern. According to the archive, the building can be dated back to the 1800s and originally served as a pit stop for farmers travelling to Cincinnati to trade.

The Spring Hill Tavern, according to the archive, was mainly a bar and boarding house, and the barkeeper lived upstairs. But when the property was purchased by three local residents in January 2006 as it was on the “verge of collapse,” it was rebranded as a restaurant with a “family atmosphere,” according to the archive.

Although the restaurant previously featured live performances on the grounds, in 2010, the owners of the tavern – Doug Lyon and Brian Campbell – transformed the area behind the business into an amphitheater with a stage for outdoor concerts and other entertainment. The first public show featured country music singer David Allen Coe and two local bands and attracted around 900 spectators, according to another Oxford Press archive.

Sandy Campbell, the mother of the former owner Brian Campbell and the photographer for the Reily Historical Society, said steps leading beside the property were built specially for Travis Tritt when he performed at the tavern when her son owned it, and other big-name bands that performed there included Three Days Grace and Bret Michaels.

She said eventually, Lyon and her son lost interest in repairing the property and sold it around 2019 or 2020 to the most recent owner, Larry Ballauer. She said Ballauer kept the restaurant open before it was ultimately closed after his death in September 2021.

Before her son and Lyon made renovations to the property, Sandy Campbell said there used to be a stone swimming pool to the left of the entrance that was covered up, as well as a volleyball court and a historic trough in the front that was used for cattle to drink from as farmers passed through.

Sandy Campbell said she even has an old book from the Civil War with entries about how the tavern or the general store across the street may have been used to purchase supplies for soldiers.

Sandy Campbell has collected much information about the historical tavern and its uses over the years, as well as the various events hosted there in the past. She said of it being reopened, “I think it’s a great thing. Everyone is really looking forward to it.”

“It was just a really great community gathering place,” she said, adding that several people in Reily met their spouses or were even married there and visited the tavern after milestones like prom.

“I would hope they would keep the hometown atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable no matter who you are or how you’re dressed,” she said. “I just hope that … they keep the same kind of community … and the integrity of the history inside.”

‘A place for everybody’

Although the renovations at the restaurant are mostly complete, co-owners Brannon Osterberger and Bryon Spencer are still working on the finishing touches, including restoring the outdoor venue. 

Bryon Spencer said they’re expecting some soft-openings for the restaurant late this spring or in early summer.

Brannon Osterberger said the restaurant will continue to host concerts in its amphitheater, mainly featuring local musicians.

Tonya Spencer and Jennifer Osterberger, Bryon Spencer and Brannon Osterberger’s wives and co-owners, will manage the day-to-day operations of the restaurant.

Tonya Spencer said the menu will start off simple, with items like chicken wings, sliders and salads, and could expand or include specials depending on customers’ interests.

Brannon Osterberger said of reopening the tavern, “We just want to make people happy and have another spot to go and have dinner and spend time with their family,” adding he hopes to expand on the variety of shows at the venue, which could include a kids’ movie night.

Bryon Spencer said, “I want people to know it’s going to be a nice, safe place to come and enjoy with their family.”

“We hope to have some good entertainment, have a more local spot to go for the surrounding area,” Bryon Spencer said. “The area just (doesn’t) have somewhere like that, and we’re excited to have a place for everybody to go.”