I actually wrote this a few years ago for a magazine, but they didn't like it enough to publish it, so I just let it sit... until now. I hope you like it more than they did. -JD, aka, the MotoWriter.
Coffee. Americans drink the glorious drippings of this majestic bean to the tune of nearly 12 billion pounds per year. With health benefits like reducing the risk of diabetes, to reducing the risk of heart failure, it’s no wonder why there are cities and towns all across this country named for the little roasted gems. I set out to find a couple.
I woke to a cool summer morning in south Mississippi. I
poured myself a cup of coffee then advanced to my front porch, to bask in the
sounds of the Deep South morning. From the moment I opened the door, I knew it
was going to be a great riding day. The skies were as clear and blue as an
angel’s eyes, the wind was blowing with an easiness that begs to be challenged
by a Hiawatha headlight and the temperature was just under 70 degrees.
While watching the hummingbirds buzz and the leaves shimmer
in the early morning sunlight, I took a drink of my coffee. Black, hot and full
of flavor- it was good. Really good. Inspired by the contents of my favorite
mug and contemplating where the road might take me, I remembered a small-town community
a few hours away named, appropriately enough, Hot Coffee. As the story goes, L.J.
Davis built a store at the crossroads of two popular travel routes and served
coffee that he claimed to be the “best hot coffee around.” Davis used only pure
spring water to brew the fresh coffee beans that he got from nearby New Orleans
and sweetened it with molasses drippings. His coffee became so popular that the
community became known as, “Hot Coffee.” With a name like that, how could I
resist?
Looking on the map, I saw another “coffee-inspired” town, Coffeeville,
Alabama, which was situated along the same highway as its Mississippi cousin. Coffeeville
wasn’t named for the hot brew though, instead, it was named in honor of
Brigadier General, John Coffee. While both communities are connected by US 84
and share similar names, they share little else historically. Nevertheless, I
was intrigued, so I grabbed my riding gear and headed out.
I pointed my Harley-Davidson Road King north, taking mostly
backroads up to Collins, MS. The South is full of great, two lane highways that
are perfect for motorcyclists. With good asphalt, light vehicle traffic, some curves
and a few rolling hills to keep the scenery interesting, they wind through
beautiful farmland and countless small towns and communities all over the state.
Just east of US 49, along MS 532, I nearly missed the first tiny
green sign that read “Hot Coffee.” A few hundred feet down the road, I saw
another, slightly larger sign that read “Downtown Hot Coffee.” I soon
discovered that Hot Coffee was not a town at all, but rather, a single
dilapidated building that had “J&H Harper Grocery” painted on the front. The
building was interesting and obviously very old, but in it’s current state it
was just sad, like an old horse suffering from years of being worked too hard.
The façade was aged, the paint was peeling and stained with mold, and there was
junk piled up by the front windows. Next door sat an old barn, it’s faded red
paint adding a certain old-time charm to the scene. I imagine that Hot Coffee
was likely one of those places that, at one time, was a favorite stop for
travelers before the highway bypassed it. After snapping a few photos, I saddled
up and kept moving east.
A few miles past the state line, I saw a much bigger, more
modern, sign that welcomed me to “Coffeeville.” The
town was tiny, though, with just a few old buildings on its main street and a
modern gas station along the highway. I rode through, but the day was
waning, and I wanted to keep exploring, so I didn’t stay long enough to get any
pictures. I started meandering my way back toward the Coast when, on the
western outskirts of Wagarville, AL, I spotted an old dogtrot cabin with a
historical marker out front. I stopped to check it out and learned that I had
stumbled upon “The Sullivan Cabin,” named for its original owner, Gibeon
Sullivan. The cabin had a unique and interesting
feature- a wood table perched between the wall and the porch railing, which also
served as a long bench seat. Apparently, Sullivan was the impromptu undertaker
for the community and the table was used to prepare the dead for burial. Weird
and morbid, but interesting.
I headed south once more, passing through one small town
after another, along the tree lined highways. I reached the Coast a few hours later
and pulled into my favorite local coffee shop, Coast Roast Coffee & Tea, in
Gulfport, MS. While my travels of the day may have taken me through towns named
in honor of one kind of coffee or another, the town where I would ultimately
find my prize was named for a major seaport of the Gulf of Mexico. While I had
set out “in search of coffee,” what I discovered instead, was something as
equally rich and satisfying- a small serving of local history.
After having one of the finest cups of coffee in the south,
served by the nicest folks in town, I headed out once more, this time in hopes
of getting home in time for dinner.
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Hot
Coffee was established in the late 1800’s at the crossroads of Jackson’s
Military Road, and Fort St. Stephens Wagon Road. |
 |
The
barn next door served to remind passers-by that this was a farming community in
its beginnings and it is a farming community still. |
 |
Despite
the modern sign, Coffeeville was tiny, with a few old buildings in the downtown
and a modern gas station along the main highway. |
 |
The
dogtrot cabin, named for the breezeway separating the two halves, had a unique
feature- a strange wood table perched on the front porch. |
 |
A homemade
sign posted on the front of the cabin tells of it’s ominous history. |
 |
My
Road King, waiting patiently for me to return from exploring the Sullivan
Cabin’s dark history. |
 |
About
to hit the road, once again. |
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Coast
Roast Coffee & Tea is the perfect coffee shop for the more mature coffee
drinker- modern and classy without being pretentious. |
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