One of Kerrville's communities within the community

The Famous Door Cafe historical marker; approved 2012, dedicated in 2015.
Click on any image to enlarge.

Kerrville, like most rural towns in the Texas Hill Country, is a collection of communities, subsets which each add to the depth, strength and diversity of the whole town. Sometimes neighborhoods become little communities within the larger town.
One such Kerrville community is located in the blocks surrounding what is now the Doyle School Community Center, a neighborhood which was originally home to many of Kerrville’s African-American families. Although these families were unfairly segregated from most areas of Kerrville life, including housing, certain businesses, and even hospitals, they built a solid community within those few blocks, complete with churches, a school, and businesses.
Years ago I wrote about a conversation I had with Clifton Fifer, a retired Kerrville educator, about his memories of growing up in Kerrville.
Fifer was born in the early 1950s, and was a student at Doyle before integration of all students; when integration took place, he was transferred from Doyle and graduated from Tivy High School, followed by college.
According to Fifer, there were four especially great things about growing up in Kerrville's black community: the people, the churches, the school, and the businesses in the neighborhood.
The people were "a friendly parental community," Fifer said. Everyone knew each other, and visited frequently as people walked in the neighborhood, leaning over fences to talk. Fifer remembers his childhood as one of safety and love from his neighbors.
The churches, too, played a role: both Mt. Olive Baptist and Barnett Chapel Methodist were actively involved in the community, especially with the young people of the neighborhood.

Kelley's Cafe, around 1934, which preceded the
Famous Door at 215 West Barnett.

And, of course, the Doyle School was so important, too. Besides the Wilsons, Fifer fondly remembered teachers such as Mr. Theodore Martin, Mrs. Walker (who later became Mrs. Griffin), Mrs. Nellie Crayton, and Lou Ella Cheeks (who had a doctorate).
Fifer remembered times when B.T. Wilson, who was the principal at the Doyle School, would come by Fifer's own classroom when Fifer was a teacher. "He'd ask what I was teaching my students, and I'd go into a long presentation of the lessons I was giving. When I finished, he'd simply say 'You've got to teach them how to learn!'"
And then there were the social places in the community -- the six or so "jute" joints which provided entertainment there, all in two-block area. They included the Famous Door, the Cabin, the Dream, Ella Phelps' place, the Green Door (which catered to kids), and the Pleasure Garden.
The Green Door served no alcohol, and attracted not only the neighborhood youth, but also families. The Pleasure Garden was famous for its barbecue.
Big acts came to these venues, including Gatemouth Brown, Big Momma Thornton, and the Ink Spots. Because some of these artists played at venues where Fifer's parents forbade him to go, sometimes Fifer and his friends would climb the chinaberry trees which were outside the surrounding fence, just to see the shows. "I only did it once -- that was off-limits to all kids."
In 2015, an historical marker was dedicated at one of these venues: The Famous Door, at 215 West Barnett Street. The marker reads:

The Famous Door, February 2020.

“The Famous Door served the African American community in Kerrville for seventy years as a café, grocery store, and most prominently, as a dance hall. Henry Kelley established his café and grocery in the 1920s, at a time when Jim Crow laws segregated and restricted all aspects of life. The café became an important part of the African American community, hosting a 1938 dance for Emancipation Day and a 1942 dance to benefit the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (later the March of Dimes). Edward Bratcher, Sr., a prominent African American chef at the Bluebonnet Hotel, became manager and changed the name to Bratcher's Place. In 1944, property owner A. L. Lewis sold Bratcher and his wife, Cordellia Mills Bratcher, the restaurant and other adjacent property.
“With segregation excluding African Americans from music venues, entrepreneurs created an alternative known as the Chitlin' Circuit. Tour stops hosted local performers and nationally-known jazz, rock and rhythm and blues musicians. During this time, the restaurant began hosting musical acts and changed its name to the Famous Door Café, advertising as being "famous for friends, food and fun." As new musical trends developed, The Famous Door integrated its lineup, including groups from Kerrville and San Antonio often credited as early developers of psychedelic rock in the 1960s. Patrons later recalled The Famous Door as the first integrated business in Kerrville that welcomed all customers before it closed in 1996. Music provided a common language that helped bridge cultural and generational gaps.”
Until next week, all the best.

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Joe Herring Jr. is a Kerrville native who is thankful for the diversity of our community. This column originally appeared in the Kerrville Daily Times February 15, 2020.

I have two books available, both filled with historic photographs of Kerr County.  Both books are available at Wolfmueller's Books, Herring Printing Company, and online by clicking HERE.

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