Restaurants

Restaurants

East Bay Restaurant Menus and Ephemera

This collection includes menus, flyers, and related ephemera from a wide variety of restaurants in Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, and surrounding areas of California’s East Bay. The restaurants vary from fine dining to coffee shops. General dining guides listing multiple restaurants are also included. (OHC COLL 2022-5) 16 folders in 1 box (.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Jenkins (Harold) Photograph Collection

Harold Slim Jenkins (1890-1967) was born on July 22, 1890 in Monroe, Louisiana. He moved to Oakland, California shortly after World War I, worked as a waiter, and would eventually open his famed Slim Jenkins Cafe at 1748 Seventh St. in West Oakland on December 5, 1933 the day prohibition was repealed. Jenkins owned and operated a number of West Oakland restaurants, liquor stores, and night clubs which earned him the affectionate title of the mayor of West Oakland. The Harold Jenkins Photograph Collection includes 81 photographs documenting Harold  Slim  Jenkins' various businesses in downtown Oakland, California. A majority of the photographs are publicity stills of bands and performers, interior shots of patrons and employees, or exterior photographs of Jenkins' businesses used for advertisements. View online items Dates: 1930-1953   Bulk Dates: 1948-1953   Collection number: MS 11   Collector: Jenkins, Harold, 1890-1967   Creator: Joseph, E. J.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Harold Jenkins Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Jones (Ambrosia Wysinger) Papers

Ambrosia Wysinger Jones (1905-1999) was born on August 30, 1905 in Oakland, California. She was the granddaughter of the noted civil rights activist, Edmond Wysinger, an early advocate of desegregating the California public school system in the 1890s. In the 1940s, she married Hillarie Jones and the two owned and operated a number of business enterprises, including a chain of barbershops in Oakland and ‘The Alameda’ Barbeque Pit and Union Barbershop in Alameda, California. In 1960, they started Charm Beauty College in Oakland becoming the first African Americans to own and operate a beauty college in Northern California. They also operated an additional beauty school in Richmond and started the first black travel agency, Charm Travel Agency, that catered to African Americans looking to vacation in Africa and the Caribbean. The Ambrosia Wysinger Jones Papers includes photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence, newspaper clippings, legal documents, and ephemera that document the various business activities and family history of Ambrosia Wysinger Jones. A majority of the papers are family photographs of the Jones and Wysinger families and Jones’ beauty school and travel agency businesses. The papers also include four scrapbooks with assorted cards, photographs, and newspaper clippings related to the Jones family and business activities, as well as two guest books with signatures of visitors to the Jones home. Correspondence in the collection is most related to scholarships given to students attending the Charm beauty school, and a small number of assorted programs. Dates: circa 1860s-1991   Collection number: MS 27   Creator: Jones, Ambrosia Wysinger, 1905-1999.   Creator: Jones, Hillarie, 1918-1975.   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Ambrosia Wysinger Jones Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Key (Troyce) Papers

Blues musician and night club owner Troyce Key (1937-1992) was born on September 7, 1937 in Jordon Plantation, Louisiana to Verdell and Lula May Key. The Troyce Key papers include correspondence, photographs, financial records, flyers, publicity material, and publications documenting the musical career of blues musician and nightclub owner Troyce Key. The papers are organized in to four series: Eli Mile High Records, Eli’s Mile High Club & Restaurant records, photographs, and assorted material. Dates: circa 1920s-1997 (b. 1958-1992)   Collection number: MS 83   Creator: Key, Troyce.   Collection Size: 5 linear feet (11 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Troyce Key Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Stephens Family Papers

The Stephens Family Papers consist of photographs and ephemera documenting Stephens Restaurant, Virginia Stephen Coker's winning entry in a 1915 newspaper contest, and Virginia Stephen Coker's achievements as a lawyer. Menus, tape receipts, and photographs from the restaurant provide a glimpse into one of Oakland's busiest establishments. The papers  include a typescript draft of a letter William Stephens (1870-1932) wrote in 1931 regarding opposition to his purchase of a house in Oakland, an example of unfair housing practices common to the era. Materials related to Virginia Stephens Coker (1903-1986) include the letter of congratulations she received upon winning the Panama-Pacific International Exposition naming contest, middle school report cards, her law school graduation announcement, and several State bar membership certificates. View online items Dates: 1896-1952   Collection number: MS 5   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Stephens Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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