Monday, February 16, 2015

McSorley's is/was 161 today


[Image of old McSorley's via Facebook]

Opened in 1854, as legend has it here at 15 E. Seventh St. near Cooper Square.

There was cake...


[Photo via @ueshawk]

… and Abe Lincoln … and the dudes with muskets …


[Photo by TheDustyRebel via Facebook]

And because someone will bring this up and ruin everything:

There are some doubters about when McSorley's actually opened. Per New York: "Though McSorley’s claims it opened its doors in 1854, NYC historian Richard McDermott used public records to prove it really opened in 1862." Which means Lincoln never set foot in the place.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Happy 155th birthday, McSorley's (or not)

Exclusive: Minnie McSorley's first interview

5 comments:

Scuba Diva said...

And where's Peter Cooper? He was definitely there!

Anonymous said...

"Advanced Chimney" *and* Abe's stovepipe hat in the same place at the same time... - I smell a conspiracy.

Anonymous said...

I find this hard to believe. A sympathetic abolitionist and temperance man to boot though according to the NY Times he was compromised in his ambitions (viz. owning a bar and being tolerant of slavery):

"Abraham Lincoln had a retail liquor license and also opened a tavern in the 1830s, in Illinois. He was rarely seen with a drink himself. The problem with alcohol, he said, was not that it was a bad thing, but a good thing abused by bad people."

Anonymous said...

Mmmm....cake.

Anonymous said...


Lincoln supposedly gave a toast outside McSorley's after visiting Copper Union. I don't recall ever hearing that Abe entered the building.