The oldest bar in every state • Hacker News Board

Re: The oldest bar in every state

#21

Post by devindotcom » Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 9:19 PM UTC

Tangurena2 wrote: post #16

FatherOfCurses wrote: post #3

Re: Callahagn's in Mobile, AL starting as a "members only" club. To quote Gene Hackman in "Mississippi Burning" - "Member of what?"

In the 1800s, there were a lot of fraternal organizations. Some of them were social clubs [0], some provided for funeral arrangements [1]. About the only remaining one of these is (are?) Freemasonry. One should remember that the US had very strong anti-Catholic feelings [2] until the early 1900s. Irish-Americans remember that back then, they were not considered "white" (neither were Italians or Spanish speaking peopl…

I don't think Gene Hackman was suggesting it was a Calvinist joint

Re: The oldest bar in every state

#22

Post by looknee » Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 9:30 PM UTC

Just ate at The Tavern in Abingdon, Virginia last night. I'm biased since I grew up here and am back visiting, but truly a beautiful little town with some stunning nature and hiking nearby.

The Tavern itself has a great food and wine service for such a small town!

Re: The oldest bar in every state

#23

Post by sparrish » Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 9:32 PM UTC

Tangurena2 wrote: post #16

FatherOfCurses wrote: post #3

Re: Callahagn's in Mobile, AL starting as a "members only" club. To quote Gene Hackman in "Mississippi Burning" - "Member of what?"

In the 1800s, there were a lot of fraternal organizations. Some of them were social clubs [0], some provided for funeral arrangements [1]. About the only remaining one of these is (are?) Freemasonry. One should remember that the US had very strong anti-Catholic feelings [2] until the early 1900s. Irish-Americans remember that back then, they were not considered "white" (neither were Italians or Spanish speaking peopl…

During covid lockdowns, several of the local, non-chain restaurants switched to 'members only' clubs because the way Colorado's covid emergency proclamation was crafted, the 'clubs' could stay open and continue to server food and drink.

My wife and I joined one at a nearby Mexican place so we could keep our date nights when all other restaurants were doing takeout only. Membership was free, they gave us a paper card we flashed at the door to get in.

Re: The oldest bar in every state

#24

Post by noboostforyou » Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 9:34 PM UTC

Safari's reader mode is a godsend for this article. I just want to see a simple list of "state - bar - date" but this is like those recipe blog posts where you need to sort through a bunch of filler until you finally get the recipe after numerous paragraphs of fluff.

Re: The oldest bar in every state

#25

Post by davidw » Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 9:42 PM UTC

supern0va wrote: post #17

The Pioneer Saloon in Paisley, Oregon is pretty solid, considering it's in the middle of nowhere in the Oregon outback. It's actually a popular stop (not that there's a lot of options) for folks who drive down to Burning Man from Seattle and Portland, so it will be seeing quite a few more visitors over the next few weeks.

That whole area makes for a fascinating trip. It is really, really empty and remote.

Paisley is home to one of the largest ranches in the US: https://crookcountyhistorycenter.org/2022/10/one-of-largest-...

And nearby they found some extremely old coprolites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paisley_Caves

The somewhat nearby Christmas Valley area saw some the world's oldest footwear discovered in a cave https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/fort_rock_sandal...

There are some inland sand dunes near Christmas Valley as well.

Re: The oldest bar in every state

#26

Post by james33 » Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 9:42 PM UTC

Eischen's is a favorite among locals around Oklahoma City. Not for the bar but for the whole fried chickens you can get there. It's definitely worth a visit!

Re: The oldest bar in every state

#27

Post by alephnerd » Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 9:59 PM UTC

Knickerbocker Saloon (and Lafayette and Purdue, or as my sibling calls it - Purdon't) slaps.

Midwestern college towns are great.

Re: The oldest bar in every state

#28

Post by devilbunny » Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 10:01 PM UTC

Tangurena2 wrote: post #16

FatherOfCurses wrote: post #3

Re: Callahagn's in Mobile, AL starting as a "members only" club. To quote Gene Hackman in "Mississippi Burning" - "Member of what?"

In the 1800s, there were a lot of fraternal organizations. Some of them were social clubs [0], some provided for funeral arrangements [1]. About the only remaining one of these is (are?) Freemasonry. One should remember that the US had very strong anti-Catholic feelings [2] until the early 1900s. Irish-Americans remember that back then, they were not considered "white" (neither were Italians or Spanish speaking peopl…

That was (is?) how it was in dry counties in TX. Join the club for $1, you can get drinks. Membership valid for a year.

Re: The oldest bar in every state

#29

Post by TheBigSalad » Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 10:11 PM UTC

Tangurena2 wrote: post #16

FatherOfCurses wrote: post #3

Re: Callahagn's in Mobile, AL starting as a "members only" club. To quote Gene Hackman in "Mississippi Burning" - "Member of what?"

In the 1800s, there were a lot of fraternal organizations. Some of them were social clubs [0], some provided for funeral arrangements [1]. About the only remaining one of these is (are?) Freemasonry. One should remember that the US had very strong anti-Catholic feelings [2] until the early 1900s. Irish-Americans remember that back then, they were not considered "white" (neither were Italians or Spanish speaking peopl…

There was never a point in American history where the Irish were not considered white. It's just that racism is amazingly not limited to whites vs non-whites.

Re: The oldest bar in every state

#30

Post by aidenn0 » Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 10:32 PM UTC

alephnerd wrote: post #27

Knickerbocker Saloon (and Lafayette and Purdue, or as my sibling calls it - Purdon't) slaps. Midwestern college towns are great.

As far as partying goes, I found Purdue ... fine? It was the only college I attended, so maybe it was better than I thought?

I do remember a poster they put up with statistics to encourage people to drink less that said something roughly: "Survey shows 2 out of every 5 students drink 3 drinks or fewer when partying" which would imply that 60% of students drink more than 3 drinks...