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The Dough Boy Lunch in Bluefield, West Virginia

By most accounts, Hank Williams (or his driver, Charles Carr) went to the Dough Boy Lunch to inquire about hiring a relief driver.  Carr remembers getting a sandwich and a Coke.  The Bluefield Cab Company was located next door.  Donald Surface, a cab driver,  was hired for the trip.

Accounts vary and sometimes state this took place in Bristol, Tennessee.  At least one source says the supposed restaurant in Bristol didn't exist until some years later.  An article in the Roanoke Times, dated May 15, 1997, has several firsthand accounts of people who witnessed the Bluefield events.

The Dough Boy Lunch and the cab company are both long gone.  Most of the structures along this stretch of road were demolished in the 1960s.  The two buildings were located in the area across from the current police station and fire department on Bluefield Avenue.  This area is now occupied by JanPak as seen in the 2006 photos below.

More old photos to come!

The photo above is from the 1950s and shows Bluefield Avenue much like
it was when Hank Williams passed through.  This photo is looking west.
His car probably came down the street toward the camera.
The Dough Boy can be seen at the right edge of the photo.
See below for an enlargement.

The above photo shows the Dough Boy Lunch in the 1950s.
If you look closely, you can see a barbershop was located in the middle
of the building.  I assume the cab company was to the right.

The 2006 photo above shows the former sight of the Dough Boy.
It was located where the JanPak building is seen.
At one time, a gas station was located just off the right edge of the photo.
The entrance can be seen to the right of the red and white yield sign.
I do not know if the station was present in 1952-53, though.

Copyright 2006 to 2009 by Mark Turner.