The Big Nine's Cookin'

Tue March 30th, 2010

 

Cosponsored with the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and African American Museum

 

Tour Guide: Dr. Clark White

Time/Date: Tuesday, March 30, 6pm

Registration deadline:  March 26

Fee:  $15

Meet in front of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center & African American Museum, 200 E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

 

This first-of-its-kind program will feature two elements, each produced by one of your local history museums. It will begin with a repeat of the Chattanooga History Center’s most recent Nicely Tour, The Big Nine. Participants will wind up at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and African American Museum for a hearty sample of some of the most popular foods available on The Big Nine in its heyday.

 

The tour route and content were developed by Maury Nicely in his book, Chattanooga Walking Tour and Historic Guide.

 

Just after the Civil, the area at the south-east border of the town limits, was the site of a number of African-American homes and called “Scruggs Town” after an African American businessman who owned many of the houses. Subsequently, the street was named Ninth Street, colloquially known to local residents as “The Big Nine.” For many years, it was the center of African American life in Chattanooga. Area businesses included the Martin Hotel (which housed many famous African American performers such as Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole), Lowery Five & Dime, and the L&G Diner. In 1982, the street was widened to four lanes to handle traffic congestion, and the name changed to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The wider street became a major thoroughfare, destroying the neighborhood ambience of the area.

 

The tour route also includes the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building (site of the Jimmy Hoffa jury-tampering trial), and the Randolph Miller historic marker.