Book Signing and Fried Chicken at Mellwood Tavern on Tuesday, Nov. 30

Looking west down Brownsboro Road at Mellwood Inn, now Mellwood Tavern, during the 1937 flood. Courtesy of Mellwood Tavern

Join me for a sale and signing of my new book, This Used to be Louisville, and some of the best fried chicken in Louisville at Mellwood Tavern. Mellwood Tavern has reputedly operated as a tavern since 1885, and you can read about its history in the book. Books make great gifts, so stock up for the readers on your list. Oh, and don't sleep on the greens and potato cakes, either, when you order your chicken.

Here’s a short excerpt from the book to whet your appetite (see what I did there?):

According to its website, the Mellwood Tavern, which straddles the Butchertown and Clifton neighborhoods, is the longest continually operated tavern in Louisville, dating back to 1885, when Louisville resembled the Wild West … . The building’s early history is murky, but it’s believed the dank basement served as a speakeasy during Prohibition, lending support to the claim that this building is indeed the city’s oldest tavern. It was known at various times as Mellwood Inn and The Rendezvous Inn, and there were even references in Prohibition-era newspaper clippings referring to church activities being held there.

After Prohibition, Mellwood Inn was a seller of the short-lived Kentucky Brew (“King of Southern Beers!”) and by the early 1940s, classified ads were published seeking kitchen help and mentioning the Rendezvous. But around 1950, it became home to Gibson’s Restaurant. At this point, the two-story building was owned by William Borsch, with the café downstairs operated by Russell Gibson, who also lived in the apartment upstairs. He was working behind the bar late one Saturday night when a tanker truck crashed into the front of the building. Gibson and several patrons were injured, as was a passerby who was struck by a flying brick. …