The Old Ship Saloon

The Old Ship Saloon occupies the hull of a three-masted ship named the Tennessee, which ran aground in nineteen fifty-one at the foot of Pacific Street. When the vessel began to sink, the crew saw an opportunity. They propped up the hull, cut a doorway into the side, and opened a drinking hole for the sailors and gold miners swarming the harbor. For over a century, the saloon held its ground, slowly becoming landlocked as the city filled in the surrounding bay.