17 Lincoln Street

17 Lincoln Street is an historic building in Savannah, Georgia, United States.[1] It is one of the city's oldest continuously running bars, having been in operation as such since the late 1700s and having been established by Polish and Irish immigrants.[2] Today, it is home to Abe's on Lincoln, a dive bar[3] named for Abraham Lincoln, whereas the street on which it stands (Lincoln Street, in the Savannah Historic District) is named for Benjamin Lincoln, a Revolutionary War hero.[4][5][6] In a survey for Historic Savannah Foundation, Mary Lane Morrison found the building to be of significant status.[7]

17 Lincoln Street
The building has been the home of Abe's on Lincoln since 2010
General information
Address17 Lincoln Street
Town or citySavannah, Georgia
CountryUnited States
Coordinates32.0794655178°N 81.088154094°W / 32.0794655178; -81.088154094
Current tenantsAbe's on Lincoln (since 2010)
Completedlate 18th century
OwnerBryan Hotel Investors LLC

In 2019, a site plan submitted to the City of Savannah included moving the building (and two adjacent structures) two blocks to allow for the construction of a hotel.[8]

Abe's on Lincoln

A notable feature of Abe's on Lincoln, the bar that has had its home in the building since 2010,[9] is the multitude of single sketches of Abraham Lincoln, done on napkins by the patrons of the establishment, which are pinned to its ceiling and walls.[10] The tradition followed on from when an inebriated customer could not afford to pay for the drinks he had consumed, and instead asked the bartender for a napkin and pen, on which he drew "an impressive" portrait of the 16th United States president. The bartender pinned the sketch to the wall, which led to other patrons attepting their own versions, many with artistic license having been taken. The napkins are taken down periodically and "stored," when the Fire Marshall declares them a fire hazard,[2] but the walls and ceiling are soon filled with the next round of sketches.[4]

Abe's on Lincoln is owned by Brian and Jennifer Huskey's Gaslight Group, which (as of 2019) also owned Savannah's B. Matthew's, The 5 Spot and Blowin' Smoke Southern Cantina.[3]

References
  1. "Raise a Toast at These 5 Savannah Happy Hour Spots" – Visit Savannah
  2. "Drinking, Drawing, and History; Napkin Art at Abe’s on Lincoln" – Medium.com, October 11, 2018
  3. "Gaslight Group owner talks restaurants past, present, future" – Savannah Morning News, August 17, 2019
  4. "That’s So Savannah: Abe’s on Lincoln bar draws in patrons with its unique napkin art" – Savannah Morning News, September 8, 2021
  5. Moon Georgia, Jim Morekis (2018, Avalon Publishing), ISBN 9781631216565
  6. Abe's on Lincoln – Savannah Chamber of Commerce
  7. Historic Savannah: Survey of Significant Buildings in the Historic and Victorian Districts of Savannah, Georgia, Mary Lane Morrison (1979)
  8. "Updated: Hotel may knock Abe’s off Lincoln" – Savannah Agenda
  9. "Proposal for new hotel could force Abe’s on Lincoln to relocate – WTOC-TV, December 12, 2019
  10. "Hidden Georgia: 58 amazing places we’ll bet you’ve never been" – Atlanta Magazine, December 2, 2021
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