MISSISSIPPI
“ABE’S IS INDEED LOCATED ON HALLOWED GROUND.”
Image 84
Situated right at the historic crossroads, Abe’s is keeping the spirit alive.
As legend has it, Robert Johnson picked up a barbecue sandwich from the back door of the Delta Inn, sat under a sycamore tree and, at those very crossroads, made a deal with the devil. In exchange for his eternal soul, the devil gave Robert (and mankind) the blues.
“A lot of things have changed since the Jim Crow South. Blacks and whites are no longer forbidden by law to dine in the same establishment. The Delta Inn was renamed Abe’s, in honor of my father, but you can still get the same great sandwich with our distinctive sauce,” Pat Davis Sr. told me. “It is truly the stuff of legend.”
That is not the only legend that shrouds Abe’s. In 1913, Pat Sr.’s Lebanese grandfather, Habeeb, sent his thirteen-year-old son, Abe, his eleven-year-old son, Joe, and his nine-year-old daughter, Mary, to America to join their mother, Sadie, to peddle clothes. He remained in Lebanon because he had a vision that he would be struck and killed by a large block of iron if he made the journey to America.
Abe did not take to selling clothes, but he did eventually end up in Clarksdale, where he went to work for a Greek restaurateur. He found working in a restaurant much more to his liking and eventually opened up his own place, the Bungalow Inn, in 1924.
The Bungalow Inn was not an inn but a restaurant, and a very successful one at that. In 1937, it was relocated to its current location at the famed crossroads. Abe also renamed it the Delta Inn. It was renamed Abe’s in 1960 by Pat Sr., to honor the memory of his father.
As far as the other legend goes, Abe and his mother convinced Habeeb that America was a wonderful place and that he should come here. Habeeb put his fear aside and journeyed to America. When he arrived in Clarksdale, he stepped off on the wrong side of the train and was promptly run over by another train.
When you visit The Crossroads and Abe’s in Clarksdale, be sure to stop by the Delta Blues Museum. There you can find out more about Robert Johnson and his disciples Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and B.B. King. They went on to inspire other artists such as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and the ZZ Top dudes.
ABE’S COLESLAW
Coleslaw that doesn’t drown out the flavor of meat, but enhances the taste.
Mix all ingredients together; refrigerate at least 2 hours. Season more if desired. (Image 85)
Image 85: Abe’s Bar-B-Q 616 State Street • Clarksdale, MS • (662)624-5367