Frank Converse's "Minstrel Hall of Fame"

[Ed Womack]

I'm not sure if anyone here has seen this 1913 NY Times article before, but it relates to the "Hall of Fame" mentioned by Converse in his thirteenth "reminiscence." There he mentions a Britting's restaurant that was covered with Minstrel playbills and full of newspaper clippings and other paraphernalia of the era. It closed in 1913, 10 years after Converse died and was apparently sold off to collectors. When I read Converse's memoirs I wondered what had happened to that amazing sounding collection. The attached article gives some information, at least. Many of the relics mentioned were pretty wild, including a New York playbill dating to 1753 and the skull of a dog who apparently died in a theater fire.

BrittingsRestaurant.pdf