Biology

The City of Bowling Green donated an extensive collection of historic Shake Rag artifacts from the Southern Queen Hotel to the Western Kentucky University Special Collections Library last week. Almost 800 items were recovered by the City last summer during the process of stabilizing the property to save it for restoration.

The Southern Queen Hotel was the historic African American hotel in downtown Bowling Green’s Shake Rag district during the age of Jim Crow, segregation and civil rights. Located on the corner of Second and State streets, it was owned and run by the renowned Moses and Williams families, who were active in the community’s schools, churches and civic groups. The hotel was known for hosting Black celebrities and entertainers like Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles and more. It was even featured in The Green-Book, the guidebook for Black travelers during segregation, published by Victor Hugo from 1936-1966.

The private property had been sitting vacant, in disrepair for almost 20 years, before the City was able to purchase it, to preserve and keep its neighborhood story alive. Telia Butler, Downtown Development Coordinator for the City and a WKU graduate with bachelor’s degrees in History and Journalism with a background in local history and storytelling, inventoried the items recovered.

“Items saved were mostly ephemera, photos, books, newspapers, and items telling stories of historic Shake Rag culture, civil rights, life in Bowling Green since the early 1900s, and more,” Butler said. 

A few of the hotel’s guest logbooks were found stored atop an old stove in the open-aired, damp basement. Decades of dormancy caused the paperbacks to rot, disintegrating upon a single touch. “Those logs would have shown names of who registered to stay overnight here, and I’m sad those were lost. That’s how legends are born,” Butler said.

The City consulted the African American Museum, George Washington Carver Center, Kentucky Museum and Shake Rag neighborhood stakeholders throughout the Southern Queen Hotel project. Last month, the City gave the property to local developers Desmond and Rozalind Bell, who plan to revive the hotel once more. The Southern Queen Hotel by Bell Vue will offer restored overnight suites and an event space, with a gallery showcasing the area’s vibrant history.

Susann de Vries, WKU Dean of Libraries, says the Special Collections team of professional archivists and librarians are excited about the major Shake Rag collection donation, as its mission includes highlighting diverse and historically underrepresented communities.

“Housing and showcasing the Shake Rag historic materials in the WKU Special Collections not only preserves the legacy of this vibrant community, but also serves as a testament to the library's role in fostering cultural awareness, education, and social justice through archival preservation,” de Vries said.

The City donated this collection to a safe home for artifacts, one that houses histories and makes them available resources for free public use. Several area attractions and museums have expressed interest in the items for educational research, program development, historic designations, and tourism – especially those directly tied to Shake Rag like the George Washington Carver Center, Kentucky Museum, Landmark Association, Historic RailPark, Unseen Bowling Green historic walking tours, and upcoming Mustang Club project that’s restoring the historic State Street School Gym.

The Special Collections and Bell Vue teams intend to work together to shape the new Southern Queen history gallery. A resource for curating exhibits and generic preservation, the Special Collections team works with many entities and welcomes questions about bringing history to life. 

Hundreds of items that would have otherwise been lost to time have now been saved. Ensuring the Shake Rag neighborhood’s stories live on through the preservation of this extensive collection is important, as its history is a major chapter of the Downtown Bowling Green story.

Contact: Telia Butler, City of Bowling Green, telia.butler@bgky.org