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, usually enslaved, who did domestic work, among nursing children. The fictionalized mammy character is often visualized as a dark-skinned woman with a motherly personality. The origi ...

, located on US Highway 61 south of

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...

. 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 construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

s, and the earrings are

horseshoe A horseshoe is a 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 toenail, altho ...

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 various lunches and desserts.

History

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 US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...

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), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'', about the same time plans for the restaurant were being made. During the Civil Rights Movement 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 mhigh—of a black woman dressed like

Aunt Jemima Aunt Jemima was an American breakfast brand for pancake mix, table syrup, and other breakfast food products. The original version of the pancake mix was developed in 1888–1889 by the Pearl Milling Company and was advertised as the first " ...

, 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 "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...

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, Grant Richards, and Charles O. Dunbar, w ...

'' for National Pie Day.

References

External links

*{{Commons category inline, Mammy's Cupboard Restaurant
Restaurant website
Commercial buildings completed in 1940 Restaurants established 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 Culture of Mississippi 1940 establishments in Mississippi Sculptures of African Americans Aunt Jemima