Restaurants in Jackson, KY

Ina, Black Brothers was a little before I became old enough to take notice. However, I think the bus line ran between Jackson and Richmond during the early 1950 s. It is famous for the wreck of one of its buses on Town Hill in which a very prominent Jackson merchant was killed. Mr. W. W. Pelfrey, father of Eric, was a passenger on the bus that fateful day when it went through the guard rail and crashed down the mountain. He lost his life in that wreck. I do have a couple of photos of that wreck. Mr. Pelfrey operated a Jackson car dealership in the early 1900 s.

The Alpine Restaurant was built atop the steep hill on new Highway 15 just south of Jackson on the same lot that Pacific Lumber Supply now occupies. It was a very fancy place by Jackson standards and a very good place to eat. It opened some 45 years ago and stayed open only for a few years. I think the owners moved away, but not sure. However, its name still is used by locals when we say, "Going up Alpine Hill." In those days, it was way out of town with nothing close to it. This was many years before Jerry F. Howell leveled the area which was developed as Jackson Village Shopping Center just across the road from the Alpine's location.

Estill Slone established the restaurant about 1961. In 1962, he sold the restaurant to Gabby and Don . About 2 yrs later, the restaurant was sold to Minnie Gabbard and Alice Noble. Then John and Patsy Carpenter bought the restaurant. Others afterward.

Jerry and Gaye Fugate owned the Alpine Restaurant. Gaye has passed away. Jerry lives with his middle daughter, Kim Fugate Coffman, here in central Ky. The oldest daughter, Scarlet Fugate Jones, lives in Hazard. Not sure about the baby daughter.

Ron, when Liz and I were going to Lees College, in the early 70's, a group of us and our friends ate lunch at The Lonesome Pine many days. I remember that Don and his Mom owned it then. They sure served good food.

When Eric Pelfrey sold the building to the Jackson Times, he moved his store across College Avenue to the building now occupied by Dr. Turner (law offices). He operated a furniture and appliance store there for about 10 years. I know that I used to buy 45 rpm records at Pelfreys in the late 1950 s along with my mom, who loved Rock & Roll! Then in the 1960 s Don Ison and Gabby Mullins must have bought him out since they established Quality Home Supply in his location. It was located in the building for many years and finally was moved out on the new road to a new building they built in the late 1970 s or early 1980 s. Quality Home Supply lasted well into the 1990 s and was bought out by Sears, which is still located in their former location. (Dates may be a little off, but my old mind has a hard time with exact times these days.)

Milton Noble and his wife Alice owned the Quicksand Restaurant. Alice worked the business, and Milton was in the forestry department at UK's Robinson Forest. Also, he loved short-wave radio and had a little building right beside the restaurant where he kept some high-power equipment. He would often let us Quicksand boys sit with him and talk with people from all over the world. It was at the restaurant that I first met Ada Robinson who worked there. She later established Ada's Florist Shop in Jackson. Sadly, the Quicksand Restaurant burned in the late 1960 s or early 1970 s. It was a very fine place for the times.

My aunt, Vina Smith, worked at the Lonesome Pine for a while (located to the left of where the Library is now). Before she worked there, she was at the Corner Lunch for a number of years. She left the Lonesome Pine and went to work at The Steak House down beside of The Whiz. She was working there in March of 1970 for sure as I remember listening to the ending of the Breathitt/Covington Catholic state tournament game on the radio in the Steak House. My dad, Tommy Smith, worked as a mechanic at Reynolds Ford Garage there beside the Lonesome Pine in the mid 60 s.

I'm thinking that the Lonesome Pine might have changed owners and/or its name somewhere along the line--very late 60 s or early 70 s--and became The Alpine.

Charles Hayes, the Jackson Times bought our building in mid 1980's. It was a few years after daddy died. He died Sept. 30 th, 1980.

McGees furniture was where the library is now and I believe Duncan Pharmacy was right across the street.

Betty Gayle Napier Nadine Duncan knows what she's talking about..

I can recall the Lonesome Pine in the late 1960 s. Have eaten there many a time. The Kiwanis Club met in the back room. Here's how I recall it, but may be a little off on dates. In about 1949 Eric Pelfrey built the building. Then about 1953 Garvice Kinkead and M.H. Holiday bought the building and moved the Jackson Times and several other newspapers they printed at that time to the building. For a long time, the Times occupied the whole downstairs and basement, with apartments upstairs. I recall Coach Fairce Woods lived upstairs. Then, sometime in the mid- to late 1960 s the Times stayed in the right side of the downstairs and a new eating place (Lonesome Pine Inn) was established in the left side. In the 1970 s, the Times bought the Duncan building and the eating place closed. Later Richard McGee had a furniture store, and still later Lees College bought the building. Red Reynolds operated his Ford car sales on either side of the Pelfrey Building with sales on the right side (where the library is now located) and a used car lot on the left side up toward Lees. Later, Jackson Auto Parts built its building where the used car lot once was.

Right .Charles Hayes !

Janie Gross the only one I ever knew of there was The Lonesome Pine

Alpine was across from Walmart where lumber co is now. The Lonesome Pine was (standing in front of the building) on the far left. The Jackson Times was on the right. Then there was a garage door in the middle that opened to the service dept of the Ford dealership which had their showroom on the right end. Then the library went in where the Ford dealership was. Then Richard Magee put a furniture store in where The Lonesome Pine was and The Jackson Times.

Jackson Auto Parts had a little store on the left of the furniture store.