Mammy's Cupboard (founded 1940) is a roadside restaurant built in the shape of a

mammy archetype A mammy is a U.S. historical stereotype depicting black women who work in a white family and nurse the family's children. The fictionalized mammy character is often visualized as a larger-sized, dark-skinned woman with a motherly personality ...

, located on

US Highway 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

south of

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, N ...

. The woman's skirt holds a dining room and a gift shop. The skirt is made out of

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

s, and the earrings are

horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toen ...

s. She is holding a serving tray while smiling. Mammy's Cupboard has been through several renovations; the exterior has been repaired and the interior refurbished. The restaurant currently serves lunches and desserts. The restaurant's founder was originally a tour guide of Natchez's nearby

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ar ...

mansions and she believed tourists would also be interested in this type of restaurant. Also a mammy character had been portrayed in the very popular 1939 film ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'', about the same time plans for the restaurant were being made. During the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

of the 1960s the Mammy's skin was repainted a lighter shade. The current owner said of the Mammy, "There is honor in everything you do and for those who have young people. You have a crying child. Who are they going to run to? Nine times out of ten, they are going to run to the mammy... I want people to look at her and see that." The author of ''Crossings: A White Man's Journey Into Black America'' described the restaurant as "a massive statue—twenty-eight feet

.5 m One half ( : halves) is the irreducible fraction resulting from dividing one by two or the fraction resulting from dividing any number by its double. Multiplication by one half is equivalent to division by two, or "halving"; conversely ...

high—of a black woman dressed like

Aunt Jemima Pearl Milling Company (formerly known as Aunt Jemima from 1889 to 2021) is an American breakfast brand for pancake mix, syrup, and other breakfast food products. The original version of the pancake mix for the brand was developed in 1888–188 ...

, wearing a red scarf, a white blouse, and a red hoopskirt that actually houses a restaurant", while the authors of ''Frommer's USA'' said that if you want to visit the restaurant, "you need to check your political correctness at the door". The restaurant's homemade pie was covered in the book ''American Pie'' and the newspaper ''

The Press Democrat ''The Press Democrat'', with the largest circulation in California's North Bay, is a daily newspaper published in Santa Rosa, California. History The newspaper was founded in 1897 by Ernest L. Finley who merged his ''Evening Press'' and Thomas ...

'' for National Pie Day.

References

External links

*{{Commons category inline, Mammy's Cupboard Restaurant
Restaurant website
Commercial buildings completed in 1940 Stereotypes of African Americans Stereotypes of black women Buildings and structures in Adams County, Mississippi Novelty buildings in Mississippi Tourist attractions in Adams County, Mississippi Roadside attractions in Mississippi Restaurants in Mississippi 1940 establishments in Mississippi Black people in art