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Description
Front: Photo shows two passenger railway cars on the tracks. Beside the cars are several women, some standing at small tables and a couple appear to have platters on their heads. The scene is one that was common in the town of Gordonsville Virginia U.S.A. The women in the photo were African Americans known as "The Chicken Ladies". Gordonsville is famous for its fried chicken, which was served to passengers of trains stopping in town during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by local women carrying platters of the delicacy on their heads. Nationally-known at that time, Gordonsville's fried chicken earned the town the nickname of "chicken-leg center of the universe". The women also made biscuits, pies and other tasty goods and sold them from the train platform, passing the food over to passengers through the open windows. As of 2016, Gordonsville continues to celebrate that history. On the 3rd Saturday of each May, the Gordonsville Famous Fried Chicken Festival is held. Sources: http://www.townofgordonsville.org/index.aspx?nid=309 http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/10/421469370/fried-chicken-and-freedom-a-virginia-town-s-surprising-civil-war-legacy Back: