I enjoyed Kevin McKinley's column on Grubbs cafe. Grubbs cafe was owned by the woman I knew in my childhood as Aunt Hattie. She was not related to us. My mother had worked for her from her teen years and remained close throughout Mrs. Grubbs' life.
Momma grew up in the Oak Grove community of Monroe County, Alabama. In her late teens she was in NYA camp in the Atmore area. A group of the girls were walking through Atmore when Mamma spotted a sign in the window of a cafe saying “Help Wanted.” She told her friends, “I'm going to go in and ask for a job.” She went in. “We saw that sign that said, 'Help Wanted.'” “What do you know about restaurant work?” “Well, to be frank with you, I've never ever even eaten in a restaurant. I'm from Monroe County. I'm living in the NYA camp.” “I need a cashier.” “I'll do my best.”
“She taught me how to use the cash register. I worked for her running the cash register, waitressing, and sometimes cooking.”. “She had rooms upstairs. Some of them were for boarders, but the rooms on the other end of the hall were for the family. She put me on the end with the family. I roomed with Betty, her sister's granddaughter, Leon Tremor’s daughter.”
That began Momma's relationship with Mrs. Hattie Grubbs and her family. Momma worked for her in Atmore for a few years, then went home for a while, and later worked for her in Century. Mamma remembers Aunt Hattie taking about running a restaurant in the Flomaton area (Probably South Flomaton) before moving to Atmore. She must have run the restaurant in Atmore from the mid to late 30's into the early 40's before moving back.
Mamma told many stories about her times at the restaurant. During those years there was a lot of passenger train travel through Atmore. Mamma told of serving country music stars and of serving soldiers on their way to the war.
I remember many visits during my childhood with Aunt Hattie, Dickie Sue, and Dickie Sue's children Joy and Frankie Lee.
If anyone has a picture of any of the Grubbs Cafe buildings, Jerry Fischer would be interested in including it in a future Escambia County Bank calendar.
Some of the ASHS members will be at Chumuckla Elementary School for a presentation on Thursday, March 29th.
Several of us will be at the Flomaton High School History Fair on April 27th. This is open to the public. Last year's history fair had many interesting exhibits by FHS students and by local museums and historical societies.
Don’t forget Sawmill Day on May 5th. Agnes Grant and Jean Nolen have plans for several contests with cash prizes. We will also be displaying some of the winning exhibits from the Flomaton High School History Fair.
If you want a spot in the entertainment line-up or booth space for Sawmill Day, call our president, Jerry Fischer (256-3980) or me (850-417-9803).
Our next ASHS meeting will be on Tuesday, April 17th at 6 pm in the Leach House Museum 4th and Jefferson in Century. Please join us.
The speaker for our meeting last month, Jay Historical Society president Bobby Boutwell, gave a very interesting presentation on the Coon Hill Cemetery including a brief history of the Coon Hill community, one of the oldest settlements in our area. If you get a chance to hear Mr. Boutwell speak, don't miss it.
