By By Joan Hampton-Porter
Curator, The History Museum on the Square
In 1970, Jesse Williams (1921-1997), a WWII veteran and a resident of Kansas City, opened Crosstown Barbecue. At the time, he owned a K.C. mattress factory and previously had his own excavating company before needing to slow down due to health. Williams heard of a barbecue business for lease in Springfield, Missouri, and acquired the lease to Pascal’s Smokehouse, built in 1960, for $100 a month.
Williams never rented or bought a place to live in Springfield despite operating and working at the business for 17 years. He slept at the restaurant on a roll-away bed in a storage room, arrived home in Kansas City in the wee hours on Sunday, and came back to open for Tuesday. Real estate was still segregated in Springfield and, because of this, he was unable to live where he wished, so he made the decision to live at the restaurant and shower at the Y.M.C. A. or in Drury’s men’s locker room, courtesy of the custodian.
Williams’ son Steve moved to Springfield in 1980 to attend Drury University and has been here ever since, raising his family in Springfield. He worked at Crosstown while a student, graduating with a degree in business. Jesse became ill in 1983, and his son Fred came from K.C. to manage the business. Two days after Steve’s 1984 graduation, he took over managing the business. Jesse was able to come back for the weekends until he fully retired in 1987. About 1989, Crosstown purchased the building and shortly after, the property to the north. The pit area is original to the building, but the second property allowed them to expand in three directions and add more parking. There was a full remodel in 2004.
Steve coached and sponsored boys’ basketball for twenty-six seasons. While running the business full-time, he got an M.A. from Drury in Elementary Education. About ten years ago, he started “Unity on Division” to help break down racial, socioeconomic, and denominational divisions through Christian faith. He also is the associate pastor at Washington Avenue Baptist Church. He has an honorary degree from Cox College for all of his humanitarian efforts.
At fifty-five, Crosstown is one of the oldest Black-owned business in Springfield. Small businesses were the heart of communities and can be still. The last five years has been hard for Crosstown. The pandemic, and Division Street being closed for thirteen months and then an additional three months were hard, but Division Street has reopened and Steve and his employees are still there serving up the same Kansas City Barbecue as they have for the last fifty-five years.
History is not always the distant past. History can also be five, ten, twenty years ago, or conversely, what we do today that will leave an impact on tomorrow.
