An undated advertising post card view of “The Plantation” dining room at the Penn Harris Hotel, Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
The racist culture of this state capital hotel was obvious in the description of its dining facility, aptly named “The Plantation,” which led patrons to hearken back to the “leisure and charm of the Deep South.” The whites-only rule for dining patrons was tested not long after Pennsylvania passed an Equal Rights Law in 1935, when five or six African American school teachers from Philadelphia were refused food service, resulting in them filing charges against the hotel’s manager and assistant manager.
First, the description on the post card, followed by two news articles describing the incident at the Penn Harris Hotel.
THE PLANTATION
“Place of Plenty”
In the hustle and bustle of our modern life, a touch of the leisure and charm of the Deep South offers welcome restfulness.
AIR CONDITIONED
PENN HARRIS HOTEL
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
On the message/address side of card is the following:
Gracious servers offer tempting selections from a wide variety of dishes. Guests are invited to help themselves bountifully and as often as taste and appetite permit.
The Plantation is unique and is justly famous for this delightful mode of service.
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From the Philadelphia Inquirer, 23 March 1937:
NEGRO TEACHER PLANS EQUAL RIGHTS LAW TEST
Special to the Inquirer.
HARRISBURG, March 22 [1937] — Pennsylvania’s Equal Rights Law faced a legal test as a result of the charge that the Penn Harris Hotel tonight refused to serve food to a group of Philadelphia Negro school teachers who came here with 100 other teachers to urge enactment of the Teacher Tenure Bill.
Arthur W. Fauset, Negro principal of the Singerly Public School, 22nd and Berls Streets, Philadelphia, said he would swear out a warrant tomorrow charging the hotel manager with violation of the Equal Rights Law.
Refusal of the hotel to serve the Negro teachers resulted in their white associated declaring a boycott on the hotel. Fauset said he and four other Negro teachers were refused service at the hotel after they entered the dining room. Fauset complained to George Stauffer, assistant manager, who, teachers said, said he was sorry he could not serve them.
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From the Harrisburg Telegraph, March 24, 1937:
HEARING WAVED
Waving their hearings last night before Alderman John H. Shaner, Franklin Moore and George W. Stauffer, manager and assistant manager respectfully of the Penn-Harris Hotel, furnished $300 surety each pending court action. The hotel officials are accused of violating the Civil Rights Bill of 1935 by two Philadelphia residents who charged they refused to serve six Negro school teachers who came here Monday night to attend a legislative hearing on a teachers’ tenure bill.
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Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.
[African American]