When Margaret and Vernon Brown settled in Florence, Alabama, after World War II, they had something of an ulterior motive in choosing a three-story Queen Anne mansion on Wood Street as their new home. “I lived in Williamsburg [Virginia] during the war, and my ambition was to bring a little bit of Colonial Williamsburg to Florence,” Margaret Brown explained to an interviewer many years later. “I have always loved to cook and never tire of trying new recipes.”
Margaret Brown soon set about converting the ground floor of the 15-room mansion, which had been built in 1888, into a restaurant. It opened as the Town Club on April 18, 1955. There were three dining rooms—the Southern Room, the Williamsburg Room, and the New England Room—each with a mural painted by Hilda Mitchell, who was then teaching art at Florence State College. (The college would later become the University of North Alabama and Mitchell the chairman of its art department.)
Margaret Brown had filled the Town Club with antiques and fine appointments, and soon it became the virtual epicenter of social activity in Florence—the site of club meetings, parties, dinners, wedding receptions, and the like. It also began to acquire a national reputation.
Although it was briefly put up for sale in 1961, Margaret Brown operated the Town Club until her retirement in 1969. A year later her husband retired, too, and the Browns moved into a home on Palisade Drive in Florence.
Vernon Brown died in 1981, and a couple of years after that Margaret reminisced with a reporter for the local newspaper about her years as a restaurateur. “Even newcomers I meet tell me they’ve heard so much about the Town Club and they’re sorry I closed it,” she said. “It makes me feel kind of humble—and proud, too.”
Margaret Brown died in 1992 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Today the mansion that once was the Town Club is once again a private residence.
Here's the recipe for the Southern Spoon Bread that Margaret Brown served at the Town Club. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a small casserole or soufflé dish. Add baking soda and baking powder to buttermilk. Beat eggs lightly and combine with buttermilk. Then add cornmeal, salt, and melted butter and mix well. Pour batter into the casserole or soufflé dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees and an additional 25 minutes at 350 degrees. The spoonbread is done when firm and brown. Serve immediately.
Southern Spoon Bread
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...Ingredients
Instructions
Southern Spoon Bread
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...Here's the recipe for the Southern Spoon Bread that Margaret Brown served at the Town Club.
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 heaping tablespoon cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a small casserole or soufflé dish.
Add baking soda and baking powder to buttermilk. Beat eggs lightly and combine with buttermilk. Then add cornmeal, salt, and melted butter and mix well.
Pour batter into the casserole or soufflé dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees and an additional 25 minutes at 350 degrees. The spoonbread is done when firm and brown. Serve immediately.
No Comments