Sarah Estell, a free black woman, ran a very well-known and respected ice cream shop on Cherry Street, now Fourth Avenue, near McKendree Methodist Church. She provided ice cream, jellies, and other sweets. She later ran a boarding house at the same location. An 1848 newspaper article advertised that Estell was catering a fundraising supper for the new African Church and claimed her “...proficiency in this respect needs no commendation.” She was known to cater events for church socials, political fundraisers, and banquets for the city’s firemen.
Sarah Estell's Ice Cream Shop
36.163651, -86.780627
Description
Sarah Estell, a free black woman, ran a very well-known and respected ice cream shop on Cherry Street, now Fourth Avenue, near McKendree Methodist Church. She provided ice cream, jellies, and other sweets. She later ran a boarding house at the same location. An 1848 newspaper article advertised that Estell was catering a fundraising supper for the new African Church and claimed her “...proficiency in this respect needs no commendation.” She was known to cater events for church socials, political fundraisers, and banquets for the city’s firemen.