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In the 1930s, it was difficult for black-owned businesses to get off the ground, let alone thrive. Jim Crow laws spread throughout the country and restricted black people from accessing many places and owning property.
But that didn’t stop New Jersey Harris from starting Chandler’s first black-owned business, which served as a hub for the black community and its culture.
Harris’s Bar-BQ was founded in 1932 on Zaragoza Street and was unique in that it was built around Chandler’s first aquarium. Harris’ granddaughter, Glen Lavon Woods, who helped out at the restaurant when she was in middle school, said Harris bought land from one of Chandler’s Mexican families, salvaged a water tank removed by the city and turned it into a restaurant. He says he changed it. A full-fledged barbecue place.
Woods said he wasn’t sure how Harris overcame the obstacles to starting the business, but credited Harris’ people and networking skills for avoiding controversy.
“It was difficult for a black man to establish anything, but he had great relationships with everyone because that’s the kind of person he was,” Woods said. “We have some photos of him hunting with John Hamilton, who I think was the county sheriff at the time, and fishing with other dignitaries in the area at the time. But he was interacting with them, so I won’t put it here.”I don’t think he had many problems[continuing business]. ”
Woods described Harris as a renaissance man with many talents. He was a silversmith, photographer, and cabinet maker. Woods doesn’t know how Harris learned all these skills, he said. She just knows what he did. Her home still contains some of the furniture and silver pieces that Harris made from cacti.
“I really can’t say,” Woods said. “But I tell you, I believe he was a scourge because there was a lot he didn’t share with us about how he learned what he knew. All I knew was that I did it. He was a quiet guy and didn’t say much, but he shared with us what he wanted us to do. Ta.”
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How barbecue became a town staple
Mr. Harris’ BBQ has become more than just a place to eat. It was a place where people from all walks of life gathered to enjoy food, conversation, and entertainment.
Woods worked at the restaurant on Saturdays and was tasked with filling pop boxes, serving customers and helping out in the kitchen. She said that while Harris’ cooking appealed to many, the sauce was a trademark of the restaurant, a family secret now known only to Woods.
“People would drive all the way to Tucson to eat Grump’s barbecue, and the sauce was what everyone talked about,” Woods said. “There was a guy who always asked for extra sauce on his sandwich. My grandmother would say, ‘Soft sandwiches are better than barbecue.'”
Barbecue was well-received for its food, but it has evolved into something much more than just a restaurant. It was a place where people from all walks of life could gather, converse, and relax. The many amenities in the pit enlivened the atmosphere and kept people coming back.
“Everyone came to the barbecue pit to hang out,” Woods said. “Eventually, after[my grandfather]passed away, my grandmother put a pool table there, so people used to come and play pool. We played dominoes and cards. It was a neighborhood gathering place.”
The Pit became a hub for the nearby black community, as segregation laws prohibited people of color from dining in many restaurants, but it also attracted customers from all walks of life.
“We’re going to have a lot of people coming from the reservation. Tex Earnhardt’s father used to come here every day for lunch, so it was very diverse,” Woods said.
Harris’s Bar-BQ’s legacy and possible revival
When Harris became ill, Woods’ grandmother took over the business, and Woods continued to run the pit until the 1980s. She had to close it when her health deteriorated and no one in her family could take over the role. The building still stands. Returns are not off the table.
Woods said her son learned from his grandmother how to prepare the meat served at the restaurant and is thinking of restarting the business. But he will need her mother’s help since she is the only one who knows the recipe for the sauce and her grandmother had promised never to write it down.
Whether or not barbecues return, Harris’ legacy will live on through his family.
“Gramps left behind a legacy of close relationships with people and a reputation as a God-fearing, law-abiding citizen,” Woods said. “It’s something that we, of course, enjoyed and my children and grandchildren enjoyed as well… Those who knew him and those who knew him know that he was a great man. I know he truly was a man before his time.”
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