History Corner

Wagon Wheel Restaurant was proof that good times and good places don't last forever

BY RIDLEY WILLS II

Almost no one alive today can remember the Wagon Wheel Restaurant, which opened in 1934 near the split of Highways 70 and 100 just outside Belle Meade.

The Wagon Wheel was advertised as having Nashville’s largest dance floor, accommodating 500. On the night of its opening, Jimmy Gallagher’s orchestra was featured. In July 1934, Beasley Smith and his orchestra were originating some of their programs from the ballroom of the Wagon Wheel, broadcast over radio station WLAC from 11-11:30 each night.

The next month, Francis Craig brought his orchestra with “Pee Wee” Marquette from Montgomery, Ala., to the Wagon Wheel.

In August 1935, Ozzie Nelson and his orchestra appeared there. His vocalist was Harriet Hilliard, who married Ozzie later that year. That night, the owners had enlarged the terrace to hold the large crowd expected. On Saturday Sept. 11, 1937, Jackie Coogan brought his orchestra to the Wagon Wheel. Throughout the late 1930s, dance contests were also regularly held at the Wagon Wheel. They featured waltzes and swing music, sponsored by such organizations as the Knights of Columbus and the Elk’s Club.

The Wagon Wheel didn’t make it through the depression. By the end of 1937, its new owner, Chet Eakle, was having a hard time. In March 1938, an involuntary petition for bankruptcy was filed against him. The property was sold by the trustee to Howard M. Werthan, Leah Rose Werthan and Mary Jane Werthan. The nightclub remained open, however, and, on the evening of May 10, 1939, Tommy Dotsey brought his orchestra to the Wagon Wheel for a return visit. In early June 1939, the nightclub closed for a few days only to reopen on June 17 under the ownership of Jack Price Jones. A month later, after the nightclub closed at 2 a.m. on the morning of July 19, 1939, the Wagon Wheel burned to the ground. Good times and good places never last forever.