Have Photobr/ Kerrvillebr/ Kerr County, Texasbr/ 30 03.439' N 99 08.667' Wbr/ Directions: Start at the intersection of Barnett Street and Webster Avenue. Go 1/2 block west on Barnett Street. The building is on the left (south) side of the street.br/ br/ Historical Marker: The Famous Door served the African American community in Kerrville for seventy years as a cafe, grocery store, and most prominently, as a dance hall. Henry Kelley established his cafe and grocery in the 1920s, at a time when Jim Crow laws segregated and restricted all aspects of life. The cafe became an important part of the African American community, hosting a 1938 dance for Emancipation Day and a 1942 dance to benefit the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (later the March of Dimes). Edward Bratcher, Sr., a prominent African American chef at the Bluebonnet Hotel, became manager and changed the name to Bratcher's Place. In 1944, property owner A. L. Lewis sold Bratcher and his wife, Cordellia Mills Bratcher, the restaurant and other adjacent property. With segregation excluding African Americans from music venues, entrepreneurs created an alternative known as the Chitlin' Circuit. Tour stops hosted local performers and nationally-known jazz, rock and rhythm and blues musicians. During this time, the restaurant began hosting musical acts and changed its name to the Famous Door Cafe, advertising as being quot;famous for friends, food and fun.quot; As new musical trends developed, The Famous Door integrated its lineup, including groups from Kerrville and San Antonio often credited as early developers of psychedelic rock in the 1960s. Patrons later recalled The Famous Door as the first integrated business in Kerrville that welcomed all customers before it closed in 1996. Music provided a common language that helped bridge cultural and generational gaps.