A Great and Noble Work: the Volunteer Refreshment Saloons of Philadelphia During the Civil War

In the 19th Century a saloon was any establishment that provided food or drink. The Volunteer Refreshment Saloons served no alcohol. What they did dispense was coffee and heaping plates of food as good as the best hotels to the passing Union soldiers. These spontaneous gatherings of Southwark neighbors built two organizations, the Cooper Shop and the Union Refreshment Saloon, which operated throughout the Civil War and several months past its end as the soldiers returned home. Besides food, they provided fresh water for washing, reading and writing materials, and hospital care. This is the story of the people of the Philadelphia Saloons and their "grand and noble works" to support the Union cause.