Columbia in Boone County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
3rd Street Market, Blue & White Cafι, and the Harvey House
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 21, 2021
1. 3rd Street Market, Blue & White Cafι, and the Harvey House Marker
From the 1930s through the 1960s, the two buildings located on the west side of 3rd Street between Pendleton & Switzler were a hub for family and commerce in Columbia's black community. A one-story, brick building housed the 3rd Street Market (later Jake's Store) and the Blue & White Cafι. Area residents bought groceries at the market, including ring bologna from a butcher named Archibald. The legendary Blue & White hotdogs and hamburgers were served by "Pop" Britt from his "one-man" grill. Douglass students frequented both locations before school and at lunchtime. After 5 p.m., the cafι became a juke joint for adults only. The Harvey House stood at 417 N. 3rd Street. Owned by William Harvey, the rooming house was home to both Columbians and travelers for more than 20 years. The house was included in The Negro Motorist Green Book as one of the few places to offer lodging to black travelers passing through Columbia. Both buildings were town down during the Douglass School Urban Renewal Project of the 1960s.
Erected 2017 by Sharp End Heritage Committee, Economic Development Inc., City of Columbia; signage courtesy of
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Columbia's African-American Heritage Trail, Missouri series list.
Location. 38° 57.402′ N, 92° 20.06′ W. Marker is in Columbia, Missouri, in Boone County. It is on North Providence Road (State Highway 163) just north of Switzler Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 407 N Providence Rd, Columbia MO 65203, 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
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 21, 2021
2. 3rd Street Market, Blue & White Cafι, and the Harvey House Marker
Also see . . . African-American Heritage Trail complete, ready to teach. Columbia Missourian website entry (Submitted on April 23, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 903 times since then and 86 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
