Old Anchorage Bartenders

 

OLD ANCHORAGE BARTENDERS

This picture was taken on day after the Old Anchorage had its last night. I stayed overnight at Wolfman's house down the street, and walked back the next day and started cleaning up, as the place was totally trashed. Somebody else came along and just started helping me fill trash bags and sweeping the floor of debress. There was a few cases of beer left, and some of the liquor bottles still had some liquor in them, so we polished that off while we cleaned up.

One by one, the bartenders came by - Ed Margerum, the old morning guy, five days (I did the other two), Boston Rick, Bruce the Beard and Charlie Carney, so somebody had us go out to the porch for a picture. (Thanks to John Guzak for the pix, and some of the others).

Joe Crean came by on his Harley, and I remember Jimmy Care was there, and Andrew stopped by and thanked us for cleaning up. And we all sat down and polished off what was left of the booze.

While Ed, Bruce and Charlie have all passed away, Boston Rick is still working as a bartender in Old City Philadelphia, at a heavy metal bar on South Street the last I heard. He's a real pro, along with Carney. The rest of us were amateurs.

Not in the photo, the other bartenders at the end were Nick Trofa, Sue and Pat Pierano (I know I spelled that wrong Pat, but I'll get it right).

Over the years, the Anchorage bartenders were often legendary - Billy Boyd, George McGonigle, Charlie Carney, Joe Brennan, Scott MacRae, Jim Smartly, et al., each has a story.

Smartly is still there. You can go and ask him.




CARNEY, CHARLES F., 77 OF Somers Point, died peacefully on February 18, 2006. His daughter Colleen, son-in-law Dvid, Carole and his good pal Andrew were at his side.

Charles was a legendary bartender in the Somers Point area. He began his career at Steel's Ship Bar, went on to Mac's, Gregory's, Mother's, The Med, The Shangri-La, Crab Trap and the world famous Anchorage.

Charles is the brother of the late Frank. He is survived by his brother George (Violet) of Collingswood, N.J., his children Charles and Sean of Miami Beach, FL; Colleen (David) McIlroy of Sunset Beach, CA and is partner and soul mate Carole Rubino of Somers Point.

Relatives and friends are invited to his viewing Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2006 from 9:30 to 11 AM, St. Joseph's Church, 612 Shore Road, Somers Point. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 AM. Interment Seaside Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions to the Don MacBeth Memorial Jocky Fund. P.O. Box 18470, Encino, CA 91419. Arrangements by Terranova Funderal Home Inc. www.terranovafunderalhome.com

More Nostalgia

More Nostalgia.

I have a few guys in Somers Point who routinely send me stuff of relevance, news clips, obits, etc., and Bill Carr's collection of old post cards and photos, especially photos of the old bars, some of which I've never seen before.

They are really teriffic!

I'm trying to find out more about Carr and his collection and would like to see if anybody has anything like it that they've had and just got scanned for the first time. I bet there's a lot of old photos out there in attics ready to found.


http://picasaweb.google.com/SomersPointpictures/Yesterday1?feat=email#5172212992330071170

http://picasaweb.google.com/SomersPointpictures/Yesterday1?feat=email#5172212992330071170


Picasa Web Albums - BILL CARR - Yesterday 1





xxx


I'm going to add some of my recollections to a few, but for the most part, these are even before my time.

You learn something new every day.

BK

Anchorage Fire

 

Hey, I just figured out how to post photos to the blog using Picasa3, but I must start a new post for each pix, and can't post a pix in an old blog post, yet.

So, I'm posting some photos as I go along, and will add some captions to them, and refer the reader to the relevant link(s), if there is one.

The Anchorage fire almost destroyed the building, even though the damage doesn't appear to be that bad.

Luck for everybody, the wind was out of the Northeast and kept the fire, that started in an overused ceiling fan in the first floor men's room, was confined by the wind to that corner of the building.

Jimmy the cleanup guy, arriving to work in the early am, called it in and many people observed the fire and recorded it with film and video. One video is available from the Somers Point Historical Society on CD for $5, and I'll try to get that put on YouTube asap.

Many of the firemen, who grew up in Somers Point, had their first drink at the Anch, met their wives there and ate there once a week, really made an effort to save the place. The video shows some of them carrying out historic photos and plaques from the walls while other firemen are battling the fire.

After the fire was out, the fire inspectors and building inspectors came buy to evaluate the situation, and Donny Mahoney's fire insurance man was right on the scene, and notified Donny that his insurance coverage was paid and they would help him rebuild, whether he decided to restore the old building or tear it down.

The building inspector notified Donny that the fire revealed that the foundation was gone, and the building would be condemned and have to be demolished as a public hazard, but there was also a guy there from a company called Risk Management. He surveyed the situation and told Donny and the building inspector that he could shore up the building with concrete and save the historic structure, though it would still need new ceiling, walls, floor, electric and plumbing, and would probably be cheaper to just tear it down.

The building inspector gave Donny ten minutes to make up his mind, and after consoltation with his brother and a few others at the scene, Donny pondered the situation for a few minutes and then hired Risk Managment to try to save it. The insurance guy backed him up, and the building inspector gave Donny the extra time he needed to keep the Anch rather than condemning it and losing it to the wrecking ball.

Can you image a vacant lot where the Anchorage has stood for over a century?

As the heart and soul of Somers Point, the loss of the Anchorage would have been devistating, and the character of the town would have changed forever.

Donny could have taken the insurance money, sold the liquor license for six figures, let developers build condos and retire to Florida for the rest of his life, and no body would have blamed him.

Someone, other than Donny, later told me that the main factor in his decision to rebuild was the fact he employed nearly a hundred people and all of them had families who were depending upon the Anchorage for their work and livlihood.

Even after taking on the job Risk Management couldn't guarantee that they could salvage the building, as they could rebuild the foundation, but the rest of the building could fall apart around them.

And it wasn't going to happen overnight. They could have bulldozed it and had a parking lot in a matter of days, but restoring a centuries old three story building was to take months, without a day of slack. And every single day Donny was there, along with the Risk Management guys, who were pumping tons and tons of concrete and foundation into the basement while other guys ripped up floors and ceilings and wires and pipes. No bodies were found in the basement, some thought to be a disapointment.

And every day, the employees, bartenders, waitresses, the firemen and the regular customers came buy with coffee, Mack & Manco pizza for the workers, and words of encouragement, with the whole town feeling like something good was being created anew.

And finally, after everything was put back together again, almost as good as knew, Donny held open house, one night for the fireman and their families and the next night for the workers and the regular customers, before opening to the public.

Donny Mahoney was justfully honored as the city's man of the year, and everybody whose ever been to Somers Point or will ever go there owes him one.

I think these thoughts just looking at that picture of the Anch afire, and will look for and post some appropriate links.

Don Dunleavy - Last Oldtime Bartender

Don Dunleavy - The Last Oldtime Bartenders.

George McGonigle, Vince Renich and Don Dunleavy were the oldtime bartenders who were a unique breed, who set a professional style and maintained it for decades.

God Bless Don Dunleavy.


http://www.legacy.com/PressOfAtlanticCity/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=124834494

Legacies

James Donald Dunleavy

DUNLEAVY, JAMES DONALD, - of Atlantic City, passed away peacefully after a brief illness with his family by his side on March 1, 2009. Born and raised in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, he moved to Atlantic City in 1960. Don was in the Army and served as Corporal in the Korean War. An Atlantic City legend, he was the owner and operator of the Opus, The Flamingo, The Elbo Room, The Mug, Augustine's, The Jockey Club and Dunleavy's. Don was a long time member of Local 54 and most recently, you may have enjoyed his company while visiting Maynard's of Margate. As one of the founders of the Heart Walk, Don dedicated many years to the American Heart Association. In his day, Don enjoyed a great game of basketball, loved politics and to take a stroll down memory lane. Don was well known for his charisma, great conversation and the way he could light up any room. The best days for Don started with a good cup of coffee and the Daily News. Donald adored his family. Don is survived by his wife Lorrie, his children, Christine Daly (Joe), Annette Williams (Bob), Mary Kay McGlynn (Frank), Maureen Cohen (Sam), Leigh Ann, Jamie Lee and Don. Don was also a wonderful grandfather to his six grandchildren, Angela and Melissa Williams, Michael and Maddie McGlynn, Gabrielle and Christina Cohen. He was predeceased by parents John and Mary and his siblings John, Paul, Billy, Kathleen, Nancy and Grace. He was predeceased by his former wife Annette Cella Dunleavy. Don certainly knew how to enjoy life. If you met Don once, you were a friend for life. Today, raise your glass in memory of Don. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Thursday, March 5th at Church of St. Bernadette, Northfield where friends may call from 9:00 to 11:00 am. Interment Atlantic County Veteran's Cemetery, Estell Manor. Arrangements by the George H. Wimberg Funeral Home. Donations can be made for the Donald Dunleavy, Jr. Educational Fund c/o of The Cape Bank, 7806 Ventnor Ave. Margate, NJ 08402.

Jazz at the Point 2009

17 January 2009 - Blue Moon Jazz - Organist Luke O'Reily at the Inlet and bassist Andy Lalasis at Gregs. Somers Point Jazz Soceity.


25 January - 1st Annual Somers Point Jazz Society Benefit with George Mesterhazy Trio, including Tim Lekan on bass and Bob Shomo on drums. (609) 927-6677 or info@SPJazz.org







Also check out:
25 January - Cape May Traditional Jazz inagural show at Cape May VFW Poast 386, 419 Congress St., West Cape May. (609) 884-7961.

Bubba Mac Shack Bites the Dust

Bubba Mac Shack Bites the Dust

The Somers Point Bubba Mac Shack was torn down on January 2, 2009.

Gone but not forgotten, the classic nightclub, which went by the names Harbor Lights, Markers and Cheers, will be forever remembered as the Bubba Mac Shack, where for eight years they featured good barbeque, nice drinks and great blues. The music was the thing, and Herb "Bubba" built a custom stage in the back where they put on some of the best shows since Tony Marts and Bayshores.

Here's a sample: Jacque Major one Sunday afternoon.
Thanks to John G. and JD for sharing this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5To4W232N7A

Art Ellwell, Jr. RIP

Arthur "Bub" Ellwell Jr.


ELLWELL, ARTHUR JR. "BUB" 55 - of Somers Point, passed away early Wednesday morning December 31, 2008 after a courageous battle with cancer. Art was born and raised in Somers Point, NJ. Art was preceded by his father Arthur Sr. and mother Ethel Paul. He is survived by his three loving children, Alyssa, Artie, Adam and their mother Kim; sister Nancy (Don); many nieces and nephews; lifelong friend Mickey. Art will be remembered for his hard work and dedication to his family and community. He was an active volunteer fire fighter for 35 years for Somers Point Fire Company #1. Art was a member of Central United Methodist Church in Linwood and was involved with the Methodist Men's Organization. Art was an enthusiastic NASCAR fan and enjoyed attending various races across the country throughout the years. He took great pride in his family and home. Services will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 3, 2009 at the Central United Methodist Church at Shore Rd. and Central Ave. in Linwood, NJ. Burial at Friends Central Cemetery, Linwood. Family and friends are invited to attend his viewing from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning at the church. Funeral under the direction of Middleton-Stroble and Zale Funeral Home, Somers Point, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations to Art Elwell, Somers Point Fire Co. #1, C/O Sun National Bank, Rt. 9 Somers Point, NJ 08244 to help offset the extensive medical expenses.