Noble's Tavern celebrates 80 years in Salem, but is it the oldest in town?

Noble Dependehner was on a Sunday drive in 1938 when life took a sharp and unexpected turn.

It was a warm September evening, and his left arm dangled naturally out the open window. His wife, Hannah, and 4-month-old daughter, Diane, were next to him.

Another vehicle sideswiped the driver's side of the car, leaving his arm "badly broken and mutilated," according to a newspaper report. It was damaged so severely it had to be amputated at what was then Salem General Hospital.

No one else was injured, but Noble, then 29, had no idea how he was going to support his family. His career driving for the Salem Navigation company was over.

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Within a year, according to family lore, he used a loan from his sister-in-law and a modest settlement from the accident to buy a confectionery shop, which evolved into what today is one of Salem's oldest taverns.

The small, neighborhood hangout near the corner of 17th and Center streets NE celebrates its 80th anniversary Wednesday, Sept. 18, with 80-cent specials on tap all day.

John Elwood, Noble's grandson and the current owner, has always been told Noble's Tavern is the oldest in town that's never closed. And no one has refuted it — until now.

The competition doesn't come from The Stonefront (open at least by 1948), Magoo's (since 1971), the Silver Dollar (around 1979), or even Boon's Treasury.

Boon's occupies the former location of Karr's Tavern, which was in business from 1935 to 1972. New owners purchased the building and reopened as Boon's in late 1974.

The Pink Elephant is said to have opened in the mid-1930s, but Statesman Journal archives show Hollywood Tavern may have them all beat.

An obituary for the original owner of Hollywood says he opened his establishment in 1934. It was reported in 1982 that it was believed to be the oldest tavern in Marion County and that it first occupied a converted chicken coop.

None of them can hold a pint glass to the oldest in Portland, however. Huber's Cafe, which started as a saloon, has been going strong since 1879, according to its website.

Prohibition starts earlier in Oregon

The beginnings of Noble's Tavern can be traced back to the confectionery shop in 1939. Noble and his wife ran the business together, hawking newspapers and magazines on racks out front and candy, ice cream and soda at the counter.

"In the back, behind a curtain, he'd sell beer for a nickel," Elwood said.

Prohibition was over, but many states and counties continued to ban the sale of alcohol. Oregon didn't, but public consumption was still lukewarm in a state that enacted prohibition three years before the federal government.

The previous owner warned Noble he wouldn't sell much beer. Business did prove to be difficult early on, in part because of his heritage. Noble was born in the United States, but his father was German, and World War II was heating up.

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"He didn't get a very good welcoming," Elwood said.

Beer sales did eventually pick up, and soon Noble's Confectionery became Noble's Tavern.

Elwood has owned and run the tavern since 1996, when he brought it back into the family fold. His grandfather sold the business in 1977 and died six years later. His grandmother continued to own the property until she died in 2003, handing it down to Elwood's mom.

Most people called his grandmother Mrs. Noble, and she never bothered to correct them. It was easier than explaining how to pronounce their last name.

Dep-un-deen-er is how it's pronounced.

Same address, second building

Diane Poindexter, their only child, never worked a day in the tavern, but it was a big part of her life. In fact, she was practically raised there. If she wasn't in their upstairs apartment with a babysitter, she was downstairs with customers.

"In those days, you could bring a kid in a tavern," Poindexter said. "I was passed around from person to person. They all knew me."

Escaping the tavern became more difficult as she grew older. Her father was well known in the business, elected president of the Marion County Chapter of the Tavern Owners' Association of Oregon in 1948 and president of the association two years later.

"I was teased at school all the time because my father had a beer joint," she said.

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The tavern has been at the same address since the beginning — 1709 Center Street NE — although it occupies its second building. A fire in 1953, reportedly caused by a cigarette, did considerable damage to Noble's, which was sandwiched between a grocery store and beauty shop.

Repairs were made, but 10 years later Noble's announced it would be moving "next door" because its current building would be razed when the city widened 17th Street.

A new building was constructed, this time facing 17th instead of Center.

The clientele in the early days included a lot of people who worked at the nearby state hospital and at the state pen. Some of the cast from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" were known to hang out during filming of the Oscar-winning film.

Elwood remembers meeting producer Michael Douglas.

Tavern returns to family roots

Operating a tavern was not originally on his agenda after serving in the Marine Corps and going to college. He worked as an engineer technician for several years, always telling his grandmother he wanted to someday buy back the business.

That opportunity came in 1996. He made repairs, redecorated and added more beer taps. His brother, Kerry Elwood, spruced up the place with his graphic design work on the ceiling and bar, which is original to the 1963 building. The barstools are, too.

The stools, which have since been recovered, were occupied by longtime regulars who have gradually passed on. A photo on the wall behind the bar shows a large group of people in matching shirts standing in front of the marquee sign with the message "HAPPINESS IS HAVING YOU FOR A CUSTOMER."

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Elwood noticed a lot of customers leaving Noble's to go elsewhere for hard liquor and food. That's when he decided to build Johnny's Bar & Grill across the parking lot. (Noble's does now offer spirits and a limited menu.)

Johnny's opened in 2008. Elwood now owns the entire corner, except for Seamster Cleaners, and he even owns a couple of nearby houses.

Framed black-and-white photos on the wall near the booths at Noble's pay tribute to his grandparents, although his mom wishes their portraits were more flattering.

"My folks were better looking than that," Poindexter said.

If the accident happened today, it's likely surgeons would have been able to save her father's arm. But then he might not have bought the confectionery and converted it to a tavern, and the 80th anniversary celebration might not be happening. And we might not be discussing which local tavern has been around the longest.

Elwood is proud to have owned Noble's for more than two decades and never closed a day, not even for a holiday or to replace the carpet  — "That's what I'm known for."

His grandfather would be proud, too.

"Forward This" taps into the heart of the Mid-Valley — its people, history, and issues. Contact Capi Lynn at clynn@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6710, or follow her on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ. To support her work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal.