Starting in the 1950s, Black residents in Roswell would venture to a small establishment situated on a grassy slope overlooking Oxbo Road, where patrons were drawn to the sounds of its jukebox and pinball machine during lively date nights.
Those who lived in the Groveway community would park their cars and play music in front of the wooden building to entice dancing. At the same time, founder Sam Stafford, who was known as “Doc,” could be seen cooking some barbecue inside or in the yard.
With movie theaters and most social gathering spots off limits for the Black community during the segregation era, Doc’s Café was a small but vibrant abode they made their own…