I was motoring over to Lucedale, MS to do some shopping I remembered to drive by the "Itch Relief" at Bailey’s Scratching Post.
It is in the heart of the city’s downtown business district, the 4-by-4-inch wooden notched post stands about 8 feet tall.
This tourist photo opportunity makes the tiny Mississippi town unique.
It is located on the city sidewalk near the corner of Main and Mill Streets, it stands outside a restaurant that serves Chinese food.
However, from 1937 to 1993 that cafe site was known famously as the Coffee Pot restaurant.
The history of the Coffee Pot and Bailey’s Scratching Post go hand in hand.
The Coffee Pot drew scores of diners for its All-American menu and 5-inch-high meringue pies. Locals met there for morning coffee drinking sessions or after sporting events.
Travelers would stop en route to Mobile or Florida.
In the cafe’s heyday U.S. Highway 98 coincided with Main Street.
Upon entering or exiting the restaurant, infinite numbers of people scratched their backs on the post.
Others stopped for the sole purpose of scratching their backs.
There’s no way to know how many people stopped at the corner of that street and hopped out of their cars to scratch their backs,
Today U.S. Highway 98 bypasses Lucedale.
The restaurant died in 1993 as the result of the bypass. Yet from 1937 until its closure it was known by almost anyone who traveled through Lucedale.
During its peak it served customers 24 hours a day seven days a week.
Patrons often had to wait for a seat even in the wee morning hours.
Among those who were said to have scratched their backs here were baseball legends Claude Passeau and Dizzy Dean and country music artists like Tennessee Ernie Ford and Ernest Tubbs.
Even President Ronald Reagan did during his days as a film star. So did Kirk Douglas, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Tom Lester, who played the farmhand “Eb” on the 1960s sitcom “Green Acres.” Some even remember... The King Of Rock N Roll "Elvis" scratched his back there.
And... little ole Nana did it a couple of times too! 😂
Life Can Be A Blast With Just The Little Things...
Nana
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