a look back at downtown dining
by Shaila Creekmore

As was the custom in most American towns in the late 1800s, many of Jonesboro’s earliest eating establishments were located in hotels. Even in the earliest days of the town, Jonesboro had several hotels for travelers or as temporary housing. In an 1883 report in The Appeal, Jonesboro was referred to as “a town of hotels.” The reporter went on to say that the Hillis House, Hughes House, Morris House and Southern Hotel, along with a dozen other small houses, were “doing a good business.”[1]

One such hotel was the Higgins & Teal, a three-story brick building at the foot of Main Street. The hotel had both a main dining room and lunch counter that served passengers of the various train lines that came through Jonesboro.[2]

Also open during this time was a large three-story frame building on the east side of Church Street, south of Huntington Avenue that was built in 1881 by Capt. Ivy S. Hughes. Hughes House, with 33 sleeping rooms, was one of the largest and most colorful hotels in the early years of Northeast Arkansas. It too was a well-known place for both travelers and locals to eat. In later years, Hughes owned a farm near town where he produced all of the meat, eggs, milk and butter used at his hotel.[2]

Just before the turn of the century, the swanky Electric Hotel was built on the corner of Union and Jackson. It was later named the Warner House when it was taken over by Sam Warner, who turned it into the most popular hotel on the eastern side of the state in the early 1900s. The hotel later became Hotel Noble when it was taken over by E.B. Noble. Noble quickly extended the building the full length of the block and opened a ritzy restaurant to the east of the building.[2]

In addition to hotel restaurants, markets and drug stores often had food counters or soda fountains. One former Jonesboro resident told of his remembrance of the instillation of Chases’ Refined Refreshments in the Winter 1963-64 Craighead County Historical Quarterly. The fountain, opened by George Chase who made and sold cigars, was the talk of the town when it opened in the early 1900s. The gentleman recalled that the “featured items were ‘Ping Pong Punch’, ‘Cola Cola’ and oysters any style. In cold weather he would add hot lemonade, hot chocolate and candy. There was another soda foundation in Latoureette’s Bakery on Main Street at Huntington.”[3]

From the early days of Jonesboro, the railroads were an important part of the makeup of the town. The Union Station located along North Main Street contained a Harvey House Restaurant, or more commonly called, Harvey Eating Houses. First established in Topeka, Kansas, in 1876, the national chain of hotels, lunchrooms and restaurants had a motto of “civilizing the old west.” These restaurants were usually staffed by attractive, well-trained waitresses called Harvey Girls.[4]

Powell Stamper recalled eating at the Fred Harvey restaurant in an article printed in the Summer 1966 Craighead County Historical Quarterly. Stamper and his mother would annually ride the train to Bono to visit friends during his childhood.

Life became hard and food sometimes scarce in Jonesboro during the Great Depression. A drought that accompanied the already difficult financial times caused difficulty in farming, but most Jonesboro families were able to survive by sharing items from their gardens, and the ladies would gather to can food for the winter. Only one restaurant was operating in Jonesboro during that time. Mary Oldham and Virginia Cook recounted remembering the restaurant in a 2004 edition of the Craighead County Historical Quarterly: “They described the café as being luxurious for that time and having brass fixtures and white linen tablecloths and napkins. They stated the only people who could afford to eat in restaurants were doctors and the railroad men before their work was reduced to three days a week.”[6]

As Jonesboro recovered from the Great Depression, Main Street remained the center of life for Jonesboro. Liquor stores, pool halls and four cafes were located in the 200 block of South Main. Located at 247 South Main was Burley’s Place, a well-known spot that was listed at different times in the city directory as a café and a tavern. In the 1936 directory, a quarter-page ad stated it carried “Fine Wines, Liquor and Gin.” The owner of Burley’s Place also had the Post Office Café at 188 East Jackson, which was also listed in the city directory under liquor stores. This same location later became Nan Lane’s Restaurant.[7]

“We always went on what they used to call ‘the noon train,’ and it was a custom then for the train to stop in Jonesboro for 20 minutes for lunch,” Powell wrote. “To emphasize that point, as the train pulled in, one of the waiters would be standing out in front of the Fred Harvey restaurant, banging on a big metal tray with a long-handled spoon.”[5]

During World War II, dozens of businesses lined Main Street including City Drug Store located in the 300 block of Main Street. Like many drug stores during this time, it was a popular date-night spot with an ice cream and soda fountain. Meyer’s Bakery would also occasionally have something sweet to eat when sugar was available. Billy Joe Emerson remembered standing in line for those special treats and the fragrance of yeast bread baking at the store.[8]

Into the mid-1950s and 1960s, many of the restaurants remained located in drug stores and hotels or motels. Motels were replacing many of the old style hotels as more Americans became automobile owners, but many motels still contained an eating establishment often patronized by locals as well. One such motel and restaurant was located at 3337 East Nettleton Avenue and was owned by Pete Tyner. Pete’s Restaurant and Motel promised “old fashioned, home-cooked, Southern food from 5 a.m. to midnight,” and had 20 rooms with free TV and room service. Pete’s stood in that location until around 1980 when it was demolished.[9]

Eventually, the town began to spread further away from downtown, and many businesses left the downtown area. During the last decade, a push by the Downtown Jonesboro Association has encouraged a number of restaurants to open once again along Main Street. Currently, eight restaurants and a coffee shop are located along the historic strip, and four more are expected to open.

[1] The CC Historical Quarterly, Vol. XXVII No. 3, Jonesboro, Arkansas Regular Correspondence of The Appeal. [2] The CC historical Quarterly, Vol. III, No. 2, Early Jonesboro Hotels in the Pioneer Days. [3] The CC Historical Quarterly, Vol. II, No. 1, Visit with an Old Timer as told by Tom J. Love. [4]The CC Historical Quarterly, Vol. XLVII, No. 2, Old Downtown Jonesboro – Part IV, Lloyd McCracken, Sr. [5] The CC Historical Quarterly, Vol. IV No. 3, Boyhood Recollections, Powell Stamper. [6] The CC Historical Quarterly, Vol. XLII No. 1, Local Women During the Great Depression, Annette Chatman. [7] The CC Historical Quarterly, Vol. XLVI, No. 4, Old Downtown Jonesboro – Part II by Lloyd McCracken, Sr. [8] The CC Historical Quarterly, Vol. XLII No. 3, My World in the 1930s and 1940s, Billy Joe Emerson.[9] Images of America: Jonesboro and Arkansas’ Historical Northeast Corner, Arcadia Publishing, Ray and Diane Hanley.