Columbia in Boone County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
African-American Heritage Trail
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 21, 2021
1. Nora Stewart School / Monta's Chicken and Rib Shack Marker
Inscription.
African-American Heritage Trail. . Nora Stewart School opened in 1933 as the Negro Nursery School at 401 Park Ave. J.B. Coleman, an educator, owned the house and knew working parents needed a place for their children during the day. The school moved to the St. Paul AME Church and other sites. Amanda Estes, a Douglass teacher, was hired as the sole teacher. She inherited property at 505 E. Ash from her foster mother Nora Stewart and opened a new school there in 1954, retiring in 1965. Monta K. Ralph (1904-1959), known as "The Barbecue King," owned Monta's Chicken and Rib Shack at 205 N. Fifth St. (1931-1961). In its heyday, the Rib Shack sold more than 400 rib orders on weekends plus chicken, mutton, fish, pork, venison and raccoon. He said his legendary BBQ sauce was "a little bit of this and a little bit of that." The business closed during Urban Renewal.
Nora Stewart School opened in 1933 as the Negro Nursery School at 401 Park Ave. J.B. Coleman, an educator, owned the house and knew working parents needed a place for their children during the day. The school moved to the St. Paul AME Church and other sites. Amanda Estes, a Douglass teacher, was hired as the sole teacher. She inherited property at 505 E. Ash from her foster mother Nora Stewart and opened a new school there in 1954, retiring in 1965. Monta K. Ralph (1904-1959), known as "The Barbecue King," owned Monta's Chicken and Rib Shack at 205 N. Fifth St. (1931-1961). In its heyday, the Rib Shack sold more than 400 rib orders on weekends plus chicken, mutton, fish, pork, venison and raccoon. He said his legendary BBQ sauce was "a little bit of this and a little bit of that." The business closed during Urban Renewal.
Erected 2019 by Sharp End Heritage Committee, Economic Development Inc., City of Columbia; sign courtesy of the Columbia Rotary Clubs, People of Action.
Location. 38° 57.252′ N, 92° 19.915′ W. Marker is in Columbia, Missouri, in Boone County. It is on North 5th Street just north of East Ash Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 207 N 5th St, Columbia MO 65201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Little Dixie and in the Missouri River Corridor. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: African American Heritage Trail (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 21, 2021
2. Nora Stewart School / Monta's Chicken and Rib Shack Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on April 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 518 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
