John's Place

John's Place began in 1949 as a grocery store known as Ed's Place. The business was established, and continues to be ran by the McClellan family. Ed McClellan eventually transferred ownership of the grocery store to his brother John. The business continued as a grocery store, and a restaurant was later added. The restaurant served southern homestyle meals to anyone in the community and quickly gained popularity. The most popular menu item at John's Place quickly became a hot dog, known as the "John Dog." The hot dogs became so popular that a drive thru window was added to accommodate the large demand for them. John's Place was more then just a restaurant, it was an important part of Civil Rights history in Cookeville. Both African-American's and White's found common ground over the John Dog. There were no reports of racial tensions at John's Place. John McClellan later became the first African-American to be elected to public office in Cookeville. He also helped to desegregate Putnam County Schools. Today John's Place is ran by John McClellan's wife Mary Alice. The John Dog is still popular among native Cookevillians and Tennessee Tech University students. In 2011 John's Place was nominated and entered into the National Register of Historic Places. John's Place is a valuable piece of Cookeville history, and a fine example of successful historic preservation. At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own an historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, and nominations to the Century Farms program. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.

For more on John's Place check out Dr. Michael Birdwell's chapter in the anthology "People of the Upper Cumberland."

In 2011 Cookeville's PBS station, WCTE, did a documentary on John's Place. It can be viewed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTnDBLOV5-8

Be sure and come back next week for another Throwback Thursday courtesy of Moore Historical Consulting.