PHILADELPHIA (AP) – If he were alive today, William “Pa” McGillin probably wouldn’t recognize the nachos and watermelon martinis being served at his namesake pub. Yet he’d no doubt be heartened to see that its core commitment to beer and camaraderie has remained largely unchanged since he opened it 150 years ago.
McGillin’s Olde Ale House began celebrating its sesquicentennial this week, cementing its status as the oldest continuously operated tavern in Philadelphia and one of the oldest in the nation.
Established in 1860, just prior to the Civil War and before City Hall was built, McGillin’s sits tucked away in a small alley at the heart of downtown. Even some residents need a map to find it.
“It’s an institution, but in many ways it’s also sort of a hidden treasure,” said Don Russell, a local beer columnist who writes under the name Joe Sixpack. “A lot of people who think they know Philadelphia don’t even know that bar exists.”
Its 150th year begins on Jan. 1, but the festivities kick off 150 days before that. On Tuesday, the pub will start an anniversary countdown clock and invite an Abe Lincoln re-enactor to tap the first batch of McGillin’s 1860, an India pale ale created by Stoudt’s Brewing. Lincoln was elected president the year McGillin’s opened.
Since then, only two families have operated the tavern – a big factor in its longevity, current owner Chris Mullins said. He also attributes the bar’s success to its simplicity.
“It’s stayed true to its name: It’s an ale house,” the 61-year-old Mullins said. “It never tried to be too fancy or too different.”
McGillin’s reputation for being a comfortable place to eat, drink and be merry attracts an eclectic mix of customers. Its earliest years welcomed laborers as well as artist Thomas Eakins and actors John and Ethel Barrymore; today, bartenders also pour pints for office workers, craft brew enthusiasts and the occasional celebrity.
The main barroom in the two-story brick building is a large, dimly lit space filled with rows of small wooden tables and chairs. The tile floor is a century old; the walls, pillars and beams are covered with Philly-oriented memorabilia, beer collectibles, photos and framed liquor licenses dating to 1874. A cozy room upstairs houses a second bar.
The tavern’s history, as reported in newspaper clippings hung throughout the building, begins with Irish immigrant William McGillin turning a rowhouse on Drury Street into the Bell in Hand tavern. Regulars couldn’t be bothered with the name; they just called it McGillin’s.
___
McGillin’s Olde Ale House: www.mcgillins.com
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-CS-08-04-09 1107EDT
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
