During the 1890's this site was home to a saloon. Johnny's Café, named after its proprietor, John DiGrazia, opened its doors in 1900. Homer Murphy used brick salvaged from the Lincoln School in Metropolis to add a basement in 1930. He opened Murphy's Bar in the basement and it became the local "speak easy" during the prohibition era. Homer Murphy was also noted for his deliveries of bootlegged liquor into Utah and areas surrounding Wells. The bar was in business until 1968 when the Williams family remodeled the building into Wells Bowl.