The Thuringen Gardens was a tavern established in Grantville after the Ring of Fire. The Thuringen Gardens were founded after Grantville's first Fourth of July celebration in 1631. Seeing that both of the town's taverns packed with the influx of refugees, six American entrepreneurs formed an on-the-spot partnership with four German ex-soldiers and a Scots cavalryman Donald Ogilvie, who acted as interpreter. The Gardens was initially open for business in a small park near the town's community swimming pool. One of the partners, Ernie Dobbs, was a truck driver who had the misfortune of delivering beer in Grantville on the day of the Ring of Fire, and used the beer in his truck as his capital investment.