Arago: Hotel Room Key Tokens

Owney may have received this tag from Barney McCabe, the proprietor of the McCabe House of Nashville, Tennessee. The hotel room key token has the city name, Nashville, etched on the back of the coin. The McCabe House hotel and saloon was located on 208 Walnut, across the street from the city’s Union Depot railway station. The business was doing well enough that Mr. McCabe could purchase advertisements for his establishment in directories and newspapers. McCabe had immigrated to the US from Ireland in 1852. He began work as a liquor dealer and expanded his property to include a hotel.