Articles
Old Ship Saloon –
San Francisco’s Oldest Bar
The Voyage of the S.S. Arkansas
In 1849, the S.S. Arkansas completed a remarkable 176-day journey from New York to San Francisco Bay. Built in 1833, this three-masted schooner was purchased in February 1849 by the California Mutual Benefit and Joint Stock Association for $21,000 ($883,507 in 2025 dollars). The association was established to finance the passage of gold seekers to California, reflecting the feverish excitement of the Gold Rush era.
The Arkansas departed New York on June 16, 1849, and navigated around Cape Horn, making stops in Brazil and Chile. The ship finally arrived in San Francisco on December 20, 1849. Upon entering the Golden Gate, S.S. Arkansas was caught in high winds and ran aground on Little Alcatraz, a rock off the western tip of Alcatraz Island. To salvage the vessel, the steamship S.S. Senator was hired for $2,000 ($84,000 in 2025) to tow Arkansas off the rocks, relocating her to the tidal mudflats of Yerba Buena Cove near the Pacific Street Wharf.
Transformation in Yerba Buena Cove
Yerba Buena Cove, at the time, was filled with abandoned ships whose crews had deserted them to join the gold rush. As the cove was gradually filled in, the piers were extended to become the streets of San Francisco. The Arkansas came to rest at what would become the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Battery Street. Unable to set sail again, the ship was converted into a storehouse, with its masts cut off and sold.
The Old Ship Alehouse: Birth of a Landmark
In 1851, Joe Anthony, a local capitalist, saw potential in the grounded vessel. He cut a hole in the ship’s bow and opened the Old Ship Alehouse, inviting customers to cross a gangplank from the wharf. A sign above the door declared, “Gude, Bad, an Indif’rent Spirits Sold Here!” with drinks priced at 25 cents ($10.52 in 2025). The establishment’s first bartender was Jimmy Laflin, a former cabin boy on the Arkansas, who later became one of the Barbary Coast’s most notorious shanghaiers. Sailors visiting the Old Ship were often drugged and kidnapped, only to wake up on a ship sailing away from California.
For several years, Arkansas functioned as a floating saloon. By 1855, much of Yerba Buena Cove had been filled in, and downtown San Francisco was built atop the new land. The ship became partially buried. Four years later, the upper sections of Arkansas were salvaged, and a hotel—serving as a brothel—was built atop the ship’s deck. Renamed the Old Ship Saloon, the business continued to operate on the first floor of the new building.
Ship Breaking and Unexpected Events
A few years on, the remaining parts of Arkansas were sold to Charles Hare, a ship breaker, for $1,000 ($37,000 in 2025). Hare’s business was dismantling abandoned ships in Yerba Buena Cove and selling the materials. His crew faced the challenge of removing the ship without disturbing the hotel, sex workers, or the saloon above. However, things did not go as planned. According to the Daily Alta California, one night the ship floated up from the mud, crashing into the building from below. The workers quickly scuttled the vessel, causing it to settle back into the mud. The project was abandoned, and remnants of Arkansas remain buried beneath city streets to this day.
Decades of Infamy and Change
For the next forty years, the Old Ship Saloon thrived, as did the brothel upstairs and the practice of shanghaiing sailors. The 1906 earthquake and fire severely damaged the building and much of the surrounding neighborhood. In 1907, the Old Ship Saloon was rebuilt.
Over time, the business changed hands multiple times. During World War II, it operated as the Monte Carlo Café, which was also a popular brothel. In 1992, the original name, Old Ship Saloon, was restored.
Modern Rediscovery
In 2016, construction crews working on the neighboring building uncovered parts of Arkansas, buried 25 feet underground. The largest section discovered was a 15-foot-long piece of the ship’s false keel. Archaeologists were called in but ultimately decided to leave the remains where they were found, preserving this unique piece of San Francisco’s history. In 2021, The Old Ship Saloon was added to San Francisco’s Legacy Business Registry.