Discovering the Past, Defining the present and Designing the Future

The Colored Hotel Heritage Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization whose goal is to restore/rehabilitate “The Colored Hotel,” 202 Nash Street in Union City, Tennessee.

The building has been donated to the Foundation by Earnest Cooper Daniels. It will be secured by a preservation easement/covenant that encumbers the property for 50 or more years for public use for educational and cultural purposes. On August 11, 2008 the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a significant building for African-American social history in Union City: 1945-1975.

The Tennessee Historical Commission states in it’s nomination of the building for the Register. “Built in circa 1945, the Colored Hotel stands as a monument to the history of segregation and a symbol of a community that actively resisted oppression by finding a way to take part in the growing nation trend of automobile travel.”

The hotel catered to ‘colored’ travelers along US Hwy. 51. The hotel also provided housing for African American construction workers helping build America’s interstate highways through the South.

The Hotel contributed to the social fiber of the African-American Community in Union City, hosting well-known entertainers like the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, Rufus Thomas and his daughter Carla. It was the site of holiday soirees sponsored by the Holiday Club, a local African American social organization.

Ingredients of Heritage Cookbook

Here’s an opportunity to share Mama Pound Cake, Aunt Laura’s Peach Cobbler and your own special dish Recipes may be accompanied by short stories (150 words or less) or photographs.  Please submit recipes by October 30, 2009 to Joan Blackmon, either by email, joanblackmon@hotmail.com or mail or drop off at 632 E. College Street.