From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)
Neal, Manlius Porter, Jr.
(born: February 20, 1902 - died: September 13, 1976)Manlius P. Neal, Jr. is remembered as the owner of the Spider Web Tea Room on Georgetown Street in Lexington, KY. The establishment was later called the Spider Web Cafe. Neal was an extraordinary and prominent businessman, and a property owner and investor. In 1952, he built what was at the time the only hotel for African Americans in Lexington, KY, and one of few in southern states. The other hotels in Lexington were segregated and for whites only. Neal's hotel, the Graystone, was located at 425 Race Street. There were 35 rooms, and the facility had a bar and dinning accommodations.
During the period around 1950, African Americans were traveling more and there was a need for the hotels. Among the newly constructed and remodeled hotels was the Hotel Alexander in Charlotte, NC, 1947; Carnegie Hotel in Cleveland, OH, 1947; a Negro hotel in Danville, VA, 1947; The McFall in Dayton, OH, 1948; Negro hotel plans vetoed in Virginia Beach, FL, 1949; Ben Moore Hotel in Montgomery, AL, 1951; Plans for Old Deaconess Hospital to be converted into a Negro Hotel in Louisville, KY, 1952; The Plaza Hotel in Memphis, TN, 1955.
In Lexington, KY, the Greystone has often been referred to as the city's first African American hotel, but there had been others long before the Greystone was constructed. The previous African American hotels had all closed and were forgotten. The opening of the Greystone was publicized in Kentucky newspapers and those in other states such as The Omaha Star, 10/08/1954, p.3; The Cincinnati Enquirer, 07/22/1954, p.14; The Courier (Pittsburgh), 10/02/1954, front page; an ad in The Washington Afro American (Washington D.C.), 10/16/1954, p.29.
Not everyone welcomed the idea of an African American hotel in Lexington, KY. The managing director of the Lexington housing projects, Jack Bryan, said that he was not against the Greystone hotel, but rather, he objected to the sale of beer and whisky in the hotel. That was not enough of a reason to prevent the hotel from opening. The Greystone Hotel was approved to open in the spring of 1952. In September of that year, there was a gas explosion at the hotel. Four people were injured.
Manlius Neal, Jr. said the gas line into the hotel building had been turned back on after being off since the previous week so that workmen and the city could inspect for leaks. Assistant Fire Chief, Steve Logan, said the gas had been turned back on by mistake, and the explosion was caused by gas escaping from leaky pipes under the hotel. The leaky pipes under the Greystone Hotel had been connected to the previous building that was on the lot. Manlius Neal, Jr. had more than his share of troubles surrounding his properties in 1952.
About a week after the gas explosion, there was a fire at the apartment building that Neal owned at the corner of Georgetown Street and Washington Terrace. No one was in the apartment where the fire started. No one was injured. The fire chief said the fire had been caused by a short in the wiring. Neal said the fire was started by an iron that was still plugged in after the fire was extinguished.
At the end of October 1952, there was a fire on the second floor of the Spider Web Tea Room. No one was injured. The cause of the fire was not determined. Manlius Neal, Jr. and his family lived in the second-floor apartment over the Tea Room. The fire had started in an empty room near the apartment.
When the news was not about Manlius Neal's properties and business transactions, he faced charges and arrests that were frequently published in the Lexington newspapers. Many of the charges were dismissed in court, while others were not. In 1941, Manlius Neal and John King were fined for running slot machines at John King's Place near The Grove in Lawrenceburg, KY. The following year, Neal's beer license was revoked for selling beer on Sunday and permitting disorderly conduct. In July of 1943, it was ruled that the revocation of his beer license was an error, null and void and of no effect. Erroneous instructions had been given to the jury. Lawyer A. B. Thomason represented Manlius Neal, Jr. in his petition to the court. Neal had refiled for beer licenses for his establishments on Georgetown Street and at W. Sixth Street, both in Lexington, and at 26 1/2 S. Second Street in Danville, KY.
More and more, Manlius Neal, Jr.'s name was in the newspapers as he expanded his business portfolio. There were lawsuits, requests to change residential zones to business zones, requests for various business licenses, and the purchase of properties. In addition to owning the Spider Web Tea Room, Neal made application in 1941 to operate an inn at the same address: 733 Georgetown Street. He ran a grocery store and had a residence at 401-403 Chestnut Street in Lexington. Neal owned the Royal Palm Restaurant at 121 W. 2nd Street in Lexington, and he did business in Georgetown, Lawrenceburg, Danville, Richmond, and other cities in Kentucky. In 1945, Neal applied to operate the Park View Inn at 739 Georgetown Street in Lexington. Five years later, Neal and Harry Williams applied for a liquor license to operate the Retail Package Liquor Store on Georgetown Street.
Manlius P. Neal, Jr. brought many businesses and business opportunities to the segregated African American neighborhoods in several Kentucky counties. His success came with the price of thefts, break-ins, raids, arrests, and ongoing opposition that often landed him in court. Still, he thrived. There are literally hundreds of articles and notices in reference to Manlius P. Neal, Jr. in Kentucky newspapers, beginning in 1920. Very few African Americans, if any, in Lexington, KY, have garnered more consistent attention in Kentucky newspapers for as many years.
Manlius P. Neal, Jr. died in Lexington, KY, in 1976. He was born in Georgetown, KY, the son of Manlius Neal, Sr. (1866-1925) and Nannie Lee Neal. He was the husband of Pauline Shelton Neal. His father, Manlius Neal, Sr., had served as a chairperson during the United Brothers of Friendship's 1906 National Triennial Session held in Lexington, KY, on Limestone Street. Neal, Sr. served on the Committee of Rules in 1908. He was among the stockholders and members of the Lexington Colored Fair Association in 1923. He was a member of the Kentucky Negro Business League and served as president of the chapter in Georgetown, KY.
*EARLY AFRICAN AMERICAN HOTELS IN LEXINGTON, KY
- 1896 / Rachel Jackson, known for her cooking, was owner of a colored hotel and restaurant on South Broadway.
- 1913 / Robert Gray leased the old Hayman property on Spring Street from W. E. Barron. Gray converted the building into a hotel for Negroes. The hotel was named The Terrace Inn and housed many guests who were in town attending the Colored Fair and other events.
- 1921 / Lexington Hotel and Investment Company invited anyone interested in establishing a Negro hotel to be present at their meeting.
- 1924 / R. H. McClaskey opened Brown Hotel at 248 East Short Street. The hotel had 16 rooms.
- 1924 / The colored hotel at 750 N. Broadway, built by Combs Lumber Co., was up for sale. The hotel had 10 rooms and two baths.
- 1926 / Pat McCAnn ran the Brown Hotel at 245 E. Short Street. (The hotel address may have been renumbered.)
- 1946 / J. W. Lancaster was granted permission to operate his colored hotel at 700 Dakota Street.
- 1952 / Manlius P. Neal, Jr. opened the Graystone Hotel at 425 Race Street.
Sources: "Triennial Session," Lexington Leader, 07/30/1906, front page; "Colored Notes," The Lexington Herald, 09/16/1923, p.2; "Two are fined in slot machine raid," The Anderson News, 02/13/1941, front page; "County Court Orders," Sunday Herald-Leader, 04/12/1942, p.3; "Beer licenses revoked," The Lexington Leader, 11/16/1942, p.8; "Jackson voids verdict against beer violator," The Lexington Leader, 07/19/1943, front page; "Fire damage slight," The Lexington Leader, 10/30/1944, p.2; "County court orders," The Lexington Leader, 03/24/1945, p.5; "Hotel for Negroes to open Jan. 25," The Lexington Herald, 01/18/1952, p.15; "Race Street hotel plan goes to board with favorable nod," The Lexington Herald, 03/28/1952, front page; "Rezoning clears way for hotel," The Lexington Herald, 04/11/1952, p.20; "4 hurt, 60 homeless following gas blast," Danville Advocate Messenger, 09/11/1952, p.4; "4 injured, 60 made homeless by explosion at Negro hotel," The Lexington Leader, 11/11/1952, p.16; "Fire calls" and "Fire guts apartment on Georgetown Street," The Lexington Herald, 11/19/1952, p.27; "Fire at Spider Web," The Lexington Leader, 10/31/1952, p.16; "Former Tea Room owner dead at 74," Lexington Leader, 09/14/1976, p.10.
Early Hotel Sources: "Rachel Jackson," The Morning Herald, 11/28/1895, p.5; "Picture theater for Negroes soon to open," The Lexington Herald, 09/11/1913, p.8; "The Lexington Hotel and Investment Company ...," The Lexington Leader, 08/23/1921, p.2; "Colored Notes: The new colored hotel," The Lexington Herald, 01/17/1924, p.11; "Oldham's 62nd Combination Sale," The Lexington Leader, 08/17/1924, p.8; "Game is raided," The Lexington Herald, 03/29/1926, p.3; "Five appeals granted by adjustment board," The Lexington Herald, 02/02/1946, p.8; "Race Street hotel plan goes to board with favorable nod," The Lexington Herald, 05/28/1952, front page.