Photo by Shawn Hoke

By Paul Bisceglio

Never fear, New York. In the words of McSorley’s Old Ale House’s facebook page, the city’s oldest continually operated saloon “aint going anywhere.”

Rumor spread on Monday that McSorley’s was on its way out when Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York posted the following report from an artist friend who went to the 7th St. alehouse to photograph it:

“There were about 4 or 5 guys out front in a group and one off to the side. The guy to the side asked me why I was taking photos of the place. He said that he was the owner of the building and had been trying hard to sell the place. Said he was tired of the city and wanted to move up to Albany.”

Jeremiah Moss, who runs the blog, posted the story on the McSorley’s Old Ale House facebook page with the note “Say it ain’t so.” To the relief of the alehouse’s many devotees, McSorley’s responded that it wasn’t.

McSorley’s “liked” Moss’s post and wrote, “No worries. We, and especially Matty [owner Matthew Maher], aint going anywhere. Especially not to Albany.

McSorley’s has been a downtown staple since 1854, and its old-timey charm, celebrity patrons and unique history have inspired works by numerous artists and writers, including the poem “I was sitting in mcsorleys” by E. E. Cummings, the painting “McSorely’s Bar” by John Sloan and several New Yorker articles by Joseph Mitchell.

Vanishing New York noted that the alehouse’s closure would not have been entirely unexpected. McSorley’s has wrestled with city regulations in recent years that banned its resident cat and forced them to clear dust off the delicate wishbones that hang above its bar.

Who the person actually was who said that McSorley’s was being sold and why he said it has yet to be uncovered. Stay tuned for details.

Aug. 23: ANONYMOUS, the hacker organization, endorses #occupywallstreet with a video promoting the upcoming Sept. 17 occupation. Until now, the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement was merely talk initiated by Adbusters, an anti-consumerist, not-for-profit organization out of Canada.

Sept. 17:  Zuccotti Park, formerly referred to as Liberty Plaza Park, is “liberated” and occupied by protesters from across the country. Socialists, communists and anarchists are among the protesters. OWS organizers say they have no single demand but rather wish to call attention to the anger and discontentment of their peers over corporate power and the wide gap in wealth distribution, among other issues. Actress Roseanne Barr, rappers Lupe Fiasco and Immortal Technique all speak at the inaugural General Assembly.

Sept. 24: During a march of approximately 500 people toward Union Square, the New York Police Department (NYPD) kettle a group of protesters using orange mesh nets. Roughly 80 are arrested.

In the hours and days following the march, video footage of NYPD officer Anthony Bologna pepper-spraying three women is circulated widely on the Internet. The video garners mainstream coverage by major news organizations of the OWS movement.

Sept. 30: As Occupy movements sprout up across the country (Occupy Boston, Occupy Chicago and Occupy San Francisco are a few of the largest, among many more) a rumor spreads that the band Radiohead will play an acoustic set at Zuccotti Park. Thousands of people flock to the park, despite numerous denials from a spokesperson for Radiohead and OWS. Ultimately it turns out to be a hoax, but media coverage increases.

Oct. 3: During a planned march over the Brooklyn Bridge, over 700 people are reportedly arrested by the NYPD.

Oct. 5:  Many unions and political organizations, including TWU, 1199SEIU and MoveOn.org, officially endorse OWS with a rally and march that starts in Foley Square. Over 20,000 people reportedly attend the rally. Later that evening, several protesters are arrested as they charge a barricade on Wall Street.

Oct. 10: Celebrities such as Kanye West, Russell Simmons visit Zuccotti Park. The Occupy movement is now using Meetupcom as a platform and there are over 1,300 occupations around the world.

Oct. 14: Brookfield Office Properties, the owners of Zuccotti Park, attempts to clear the park by announcing that they and the NYPD will be performing a cleaning of the park at 7 a.m. the next morning. Protesters spend the day cleaning the park themselves, MoveOn.org gathers more than 150,000 signatures on a petition asking Bloomberg not to allow their eviction and, by 6 a.m., with no response from either the city or Brookfield Properties, an estimated 5,000 people gather in Zuccotti Park to prevent the clearing of the park. At the last minute, Brookfield rescinds their request for cleaning as well as their request for NYPD support in removing the protesters.

PHOTOS BY: Gail Zawacki, Brennan Cavanaugh, Gail Zawacki, Jeremiah's s Vanishing New York, Alex Fradkin, Brennan Cavanaugh, Meetup.com, Brennan Cavanaugh, Cody Swanson