Saloons and taverns have always been part of coal mining towns. Black Diamond was no exception. In the early days, Joe Krause ran the Black Diamond saloon and the stories of drinking and fighting coal miners were legendary. A dozen stories are told in “Black Diamond: Mining the Memories,” the 1998 oral history by Corey and Diane Olson. The last surviving beer joint in Black Diamond is Boots Tavern, shown here on December 1, 1939.
The building was constructed in 1936 by two brothers, Richard and Emilio Pierotti, who early in life gained the nicknames “Boots” and “Meg.” They were sons of Italian immigrants, Venerio and Maria Pierotti who settled in Black Diamond in 1910. Richard loved playing soccer, and “Boots” became his nickname. “Meg” resulted when the boys’ mother misspelled Emilio as Meglio, which classmates shortened to Meg. A third brother, Leonard played professional baseball in the Triple-A, Pacific Coast League.
In 1931, “Boots” Pierotti’s leg was crushed between two coal cars in an underground mining accident. The close-knit Italian family rallied to his support. With a $2,000 loan from their stepfather, Abramo Pennacchi, the tavern business was born. Behind the tavern in two trailer homes, Boots Pierotti offered shelter to those needing a place to stay. Pierotti retired from the business in 1965 and passed away in 1989. The tavern changed hands several times but kept the name Boots. Beginning operations in 1937, Boots Tavern is one of the oldest businesses in Black Diamond. This photo of tax parcel number 112106-9031 comes courtesy of the Puget Sound Regional Archives’ collection of Assessor records held in their branch at Bellevue College.
