Slippery Noodle Inn
Encyclopedia
The Slippery Noodle Inn is a large blues
bar and restaurant with two performance stages in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana
. It also has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating bar in the state of Indiana
, having opened in 1850 as the Tremont House.
The Inn served as a stop on the Underground Railroad
during the American Civil War
. During prohibition
it was called a restaurant, although beer
was still being made in the basement, and later it housed a brothel
until 1953.
The Inn is the oldest commercial building in the city. Its tin ceiling dates to 1890 and the oak bar is also over a century old. The Inn has operated under its current name since 1963. It has hosted many legendary blues performers during that time, and is now one of the most prominent blues venues in the region.
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
bar and restaurant with two performance stages in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. It also has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating bar in the state of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, having opened in 1850 as the Tremont House.
The Inn served as a stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. During prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
it was called a restaurant, although beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
was still being made in the basement, and later it housed a brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
until 1953.
The Inn is the oldest commercial building in the city. Its tin ceiling dates to 1890 and the oak bar is also over a century old. The Inn has operated under its current name since 1963. It has hosted many legendary blues performers during that time, and is now one of the most prominent blues venues in the region.