More Demands for Justice. Noe Valley neighbors made a show of support in June by taking to a slowed Sanchez Street and saying that black lives matter. For more protest coverage and essays by two African American Noe Valley residents, see pages 8 and 9 of this edition. Photo by Sally Smith Vol. XLIV, No. 7 July/August 2020 ™ THE NOE VALLEY VOICE The Valley Tavern Tracing the Roots And How It Of Abby (and Came To Be Alexander) Fisher Vince and Declan Hogan Pour Born a Slave in the South, Their Generous Spirits Into Cookbook Author Local Venue Called Noe Valley Home By Megan Wetherall By Evelyn Rose f you’ve lingered over a pint at the Val- Editor's Note: A few years back, in our Iley Tavern at 4054 24th St., then you May 2017 issue, the Noe Valley Voice have steeped in a fascinating history that published a short piece by bookstore spans more than a century, from when the owner Celia Sack in which she described bones of the building were first laid one of her most prized possessions, a shortly after the 1906 earthquake right up cookbook by Abby Fisher, an African to the precarious present. American woman living in San Francisco According to local legend, the original in the 1880s. With her recent rediscovery structure was a storage space that became that Fisher had resided in Noe Valley, the overflow mortuary for a crematorium historian Evelyn Rose approached the located in what is now the Peruvian Voice in late 2019 to ask if she could restaurant Fresca. After a stint as a coffee share what she had learned about Mrs. shop in the 1940s, the place was re- Fisher and her road from the deep South vamped as the first in a long line of bars, to a wood-frame house on 27th Street. We which included the Celtic Tavern, Mur- are pleased to print it here. phy’s Irish Inn, Finnegan’s Wake, the Rat What We Haven’t Known That Mrs. and Raven, the Coyote Club, and most re- Fisher Already Knew: Some Insights cently, since 2007, the Valley Tavern. for a Southern Culinary Mystery Noe resident Mary McFadden is the oldest of 10 children and grew up next By Evelyn Rose, Glen Park door to this colorful establishment during Neighborhoods History Project the 1960s, in the small Victorian where her mother still lives. She describes a The Garden Is Open: Though the interior of the Valley Tavern is off limits to patrons, hat Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old working-class immigrant neighborhood service is happening in the spacious outdoor area. Photo by Megan Wetherall W Southern Cooking, Pickles, Pre- of bars, bookshops, and bakeries. Her fa- serves, etc., a small book published by ther, a Scottish immigrant from the slums Fadden recalls dryly. “And these were his hanging out, and you could hear the ball the Women’s Co-operative Printing Of- of Glasgow, had his doctor’s office in patients, the people he served. There were game or live music out on the streets.” fice of San Francisco in 1881, was once their house and frequented all the bars. radios instead of televisions, and the bar “Bars were the province of men,” Mc- windows were always open with guys CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 2 The Noe Valley Voice • July/August 2020 OPENSFHISTORY A Special Day. The bride and her maids stop to confer in front of St. Paul’s Catholic Church after a wedding in this photo from the 1950s. Photo and information courtesy OpenSFHistory.org /Western Neighborhoods Project /David Gallagher +++ Thank You Noe Valley! FRIENDS of The Noe Valley Voice More of our neighbors have stepped up to demonstrate with a cash donation, their appreciation for the work of the Noe Valley Voice. We’re extremely grateful to the people listed below, and to those we hope will join them. Bruce Pettit Shannon Wilson & Janine Guillot William Russell Shapiro Friends of Noe Valley & Paul Kantus Trust Daniel & Lloyda Murphy William Metzler Jason Ruderman Lynda Willow Ruth Rosenblatt Douglas Robson Robert & Ann Cromey Cindy Jane Cobb Lisa Erdos & Wayne DeJong Monica McGuire Our need continues. Please send a contribution to Friends of The Noe Valley Voice - PO Box 460249, San Francisco, CA 94146 The Noe Valley Voice • July/August 2020 3 Serenity Spot. Many backyard gardens provide a safe space for Noe Valley residents as in this photo from February. 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This is not intended to solicit property already listed. *Stats based on 2020 SFHH MLS data at the time of print. 4 The Noe Valley Voice • July/August 2020 SaintSaint AidansA di an s EpiEpiscopalscopal CChurchhurch A JoyfulJo lufy CommunityCommunity ofof thethe SpiritSp itir InIn thist ih s ttimeim oof se socialocf ai l ddistancing,isttancing wwee a, arere ststilllli veryrev y muchmuch cconnectedonnected iinn ssolidaritylo id ytira aand hopnd hope..e On-LineOn L- ine WWorshiporship Sundaysundays atat 8 aamm & 1100 aamm MorninMorningg PPrayer:eyar r: MMon,on, WWed,ed, FFrir aatt 7i 7:303: 0 aamm EveningEvening PPrayer:eyar r: WWednesdayednesda aatt 6y 6:303: 0 ppmm ContemplativContemplativee PPrayer:r eya r: TTuTues,ues, TThurs,hurs, SSatat aatt 9 aamm EmEmailail [email protected]@staidansff.o.org ffoforor cconnectiononn oitce n iinfo.nf .o FoodFood MMinistriesinistries (Fo(Food toto God Go))o + FoodFood Pantry:Pa yrtn : FFriday,ridayy,, 1 - 2 ppmm DiamondDiamond Diners:Dinerrs: FFirsti t Wrs Wednesday,ednesdayy,, 1122 - 1 ppmm St..tS Aidan’sA anid s’ MissionMission is ttoo embracees mb car e Christ’sC irh st’s teachingsteachings ofof servicecivres e anda lovelond ev forfor alla ll people.pe leop . 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We Accept: Free Parking ATMM Cards AcrAcrossross the Street DiscoverDisccover Cards IInn our Very Own MasterCardMassterCard & Visa Elec.Elecc. Food Stamps & EBT Parking Lot ! 448448 CortlandCortland AvAvenueAvveenue BernalB ernal HHeightseights SanS a n FFranciscorancisco 9941104110 THE CARTOON BY OWEN BAKER-FLYNN THE NOE VALLEY VOICE P.O. Box 460249 San Francisco, CA 94146 www.noevalleyvoice.com he Noe Valley Voice is an independent news - Tpaper published in San Francisco. It is dis- tributed free in Noe Valley and vicinity during the first week of the month.