Ballard was once home to more bars than any town west of the Mississippi. Local legend has it that Ballard founders had to build a church for every new bar in order to fight against the scourge.In 1898, Percy Sankey opened The Ballard Bar, and ran it as such until prohibition, at which time many bars closed their front doors, only to reopen the door in back. The Ballard Bar became Percy’s Men’s Furnishing in front, and simply opened its back door, like so many others.