Cafe Connoisseur |Seamstress
In the thriving black community known as Greenwood, Irene Evans was one of many great business owners. Evans’s date and location of birth are both unknown, however her active community involvement left us with other various records of her noteworthy life.
In March 1914, Evans and her husband Harry opened the Evans Café in the Martin Building1“Evans Café Opening.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), March 14, 1914. located at 126 N. Greenwood Ave.2“The Evans Café.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), October 03, 1914. The café’s “famous fried chicken and home made pastries”3“News Around the City.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), August 1, 1914. were extremely popular not only in Tulsa but throughout the state.
Only three months after opening, the café served Tulsa’s baseball team, the Tulsa Oilers as well as the opposing team, the Bartlesville Blues.4“Evans Café.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), June 20, 1914.
The Evans advertised regularly in The Tulsa Star throughout 1914 and attributed much of their success to this.5“Evans Café.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), April 11, 1914.
By June, the Evans Café was doing so well that the couple hired James Cheatham, a professional chef from New Orleans along with two waitresses and a night cook.6 “News Around the City. “The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), June 06, 1914. Cheatham was originally hired to run the restaurant at night and also served as the assistant manager.7“Evans Café.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), June 20, 1914. Within just a few months, Cheatham and his wife opened their own café in Tulsa, where Mrs. Cheatham was a server.8Husband Foils Wife’s Elopement. “The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), December 19, 1914.
Little information is available about the business or about the relationship between Irene Evans and Mrs. Cheatham since the Cheathams split in a highly publicized scandal around Christmas of 1915.9“Mrs. Cheatham Leaves Hubby.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), January 2, 1915.
After 1914 however, advertisements for the Evans café cannot be found.
It may be tied to the Evans’s next business venture: The Evans Tailoring Company on Archer Street, a street that was located in the heart of Greenwood. The new business was near the Small Hotel and Dora Wells’ Hair Manufacturing and Garment Factory, along with numerous other successful Greenwood businesses.
The first ads for Evans’ Tailoring Company appear around 1917 and continue regularly in The Tulsa Star until the end of 1918. The shop advertised their delivery service and seemed to have specialized in suits.10“Evans Tailoring Co.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), December 22, 1917.
Mr. Evans’ military records reveal that the couple ran the tailor shop out of their home.11Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
In addition to their business endeavors, Irene and her husband were active members of their community. The couple attended First Baptist Church which was founded in 1899 by a small group of black Christians.
The edifice of the First Baptist Church North Tulsa survived the Massacre. It went on to host many Black leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.12“History” First Baptist Church North Tulsa https://fbcnt.org/members-guests/history.
Mr. Evans was actively involved in Greenwood’s Business League along with O. W. Gurley and other prominent Greenwood citizens.13 “Local Bus. Men to Hold Own Doings.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), February 7, 1914. Along with her participation in the Church, Evans was a member of the Household of Ruth, a women’s group based on the Odd Fellowship.14The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), February 23, 1918. The Odd Fellowship is a co-ed fraternal organization which focuses on helping those in need.15“About” https://odd-fellows.org/about/ In January of 1918, Evans was noted by the United Brothers of Friendship and Sisters of the Mysterious Ten as “The most excellent queen” who “ruled with distinction” at their Royal House Meeting.16“The Royal House Convened January 16th.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), February 2, 1918.
Less than a month later Evans organized an event for children of these organizations at her church.17“Juveniles Organized.” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), March 2, 1918. The United Brothers of Friendship and Sisters of the Mysterious Ten are secret associations dating back to the 1860s and based in Kentucky. They were organized by freedman who aimed to care for the sick.18“United Brothers of Friendship and Sisters of the Mysterious Ten.” http://www.stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij/ubfsmt_en.html. It is clear that she was well respected within the community of her church and social organizations.
Unfortunately, after 1918 few records are available about Irene Evans or her husband. For instance, it remains unclear if Harry served in the First World War, when the Evans Café closed, the impact of the Tulsa Race Massacre on the couple and their businesses, and where they ended up later.
Even so, the existing records of the Evans family show that the couple had a fine sense of social responsibility, spirituality, and business management that was honored in their community.
Makayla Swanson
Take a short quiz on Evans’ life!
Bibliography:
“About,” The Oddfellows, n.d, https://odd-fellows.org/about/
Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
“Evans Café Opening,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), March 14, 1914. (All Tulsa Star Articles available in the Oklahoma Gateway).
“Evans Café,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), June 20, 1914.
“Evans Café,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), April 11, 1914.
“Evans Tailoring Co,” The Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), December 22, 1917.
“History,” First Baptist Church North Tulsa, n.d. https://fbcnt.org/members-guests/history.
Husband Foils Wife’s Elopement, “Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), December 19, 1914.
“Local Bus. Men to Hold Own Doings,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), February 7, 1914.
“Mrs. Cheatham Leaves Hubby,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), January 2, 1915.
“News Around the City,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), August 1, 1914.
“News Around the City, “Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), June 06, 1914.
“The Evans Café,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), October 03, 1914.
“The Royal House Convened January 16th,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), February 2, 1918.
“Untitled,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), February 23, 1918.
Citation:
Makayla Swanson, “Irene Evans,” in Brandy Thomas Wells, ed. Women of Black Wall Street, 2021, https://blackwallstreetwomen.com/?page_id=207(Access Date)
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