FEBRUARY 23
Chat 'n Chew near Route 66 in Normal, Illinois, catered to black customers during the Jim Crowe era. It was a restaurant and grocery, one of a very few places black travelers along the Mother Road could use. It was located at 403 North Fell Street, a block off Route 66.
It was owned by Richard Anson and was one of the few places black students at Illinois State University (Normal School back then) could eat. A place by the campus called the Pilgrim Cafe would not serve blacks. However, in 1947, protests by black and white veterans led to it being integrated.
I wonder if this was listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book?
Hard to believe that this was also in a northern state.
--RoadDog
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