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Wednesday, March 25, 2009 9:22 AM Early taste of Wilson barbecue By Keith Barnes | Times Photojournalist Doug Braswell probably knew when he sent me the old photo last week that I'd get excited, and he was right. Braswell, who grew up in Wilson but has now retired in West Jefferson, said the picture was taken in 1931 inside of what was then known as Braswell's Barbecue Restaurant on South Street. The building, still standing but unoccupied, was once part of a "restaurant row" area in downtown Wilson that consisted of Braswell's, Sutton's Restaurant and another owned by a Mr. Lewis. The photo offers not only a terrific period scene but also provides a hint of the roots and tradition of Wilson's barbecue history. When the Wilson Tobacco Market first opened Sept. 10, 1890, in a warehouse at the corner of South and Goldsboro streets. it was noted in The Wilson Mirror newspaper that "barbecue and all the trimmings" was served to the thousands who attended the milestone event. The tobacco warehouse experience was both nerve-racking and time consuming, and the farmers, buyers, warehousemen and others could work up a good appetite spending hours on the auction floor. With the demand for food there, three barbecue restaurants sprang up across the street right next to each other. What better way for farmers to celebrate after selling their crops than treating friends and family to some barbecue? "The restaurant was owned by my dad's uncle Dave Braswell, who is the older man standing to the left, wearing an apron and black-framed eyeglasses," Doug Braswell said. "The man in the middle wearing an apron was Lymon Eason, and the man to the right wearing an apron was my dad, Herbert Braswell." The man on stool was only identified as a Mr. Batchelor. Braswell said his dad chopped and prepared barbecue at the place for years. "After Dave's death the business was sold to B.C. Godwin, who was related to the three Godwin brothers that later opened Godwin's Restaurant at two different locations of Tarboro Street," he said. Most local barbecue aficionados give much credit to Godwin's as being a precursor and important cog in the development of what we call eastern North Carolina-style barbecue, the kind now served at Parker's, Bill's and other 'cue havens in the area. In addition, the photo also brought back pleasant memories for another Wilsonian, Louise Church Hight, who will be 98 years old next month. Hight had already told me some time ago about the same restaurant and her memories of time spent time there as a teenager. Coincidentally, Dave Braswell was also Hight's great uncle, and when I showed her the photo a broad smile came upon her face. "That's my Uncle David," she said pointing to him, after which she started reminiscing. "Uncle David would come by to get me on Sundays, and we'd go to his house. He played the violin, and I'd play the piano," she said. "Sometimes he'd take us kids to the creek and wade in the water with us," she said. "He was a good man, and I loved him." "I remember the restaurant had a sawdust floor and oilcloth on the tables," she said. "But, I mainly remember the good barbecue. They served nothing but barbecue (no slaw, 'taters or Brunswick Stew) along with baked cornbread." She further recalled the big bands that performed in the warehouse across the street. "I danced many a dance in that warehouse," she said "I just loved to dance." But, back to the photograph. Among the other notable features observed are a cast iron pot-bellied stove for the winter, and an air-conditioning system for the summer that consisted of a ceiling fan in the center of the restaurant along with two other oscillating-type fans resting on shelves above doorways on either side of the building. Also, a fly-paper strip hangs from the ceiling, and several crates of bottled soft drinks rest on the floor under the serving tables. As great as this photo is, however, one thing is missing, and that is the fantastic aroma of freshly-cooked barbecue, both inside the restaurant and permeating the area outside and across the street at the warehouse. Hight told me the food was cooked and prepared outside behind the building, and I can only imagine how tempting it must have been to anyone nearby. As Doug Braswell said, "It sold itself, just like popcorn at the theater." Next time you pay a visit to any of our local barbecue establishments (and most of you eventually will), you might want to secretly thank those in this photo before chowin' down. They all had a hand in laying the foundation for some of the best eats this side of anywhere. barnes@wilsondaily.com | 265-7855 |
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Steve said...
Awesome article and insight into Wilson's history. I wonder how much history was made/took place in that restaurant.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 3:49 PM
Awesome article and insight into Wilson's history. I wonder how much history was made/took place in that restaurant.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 3:49 PM
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