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ORAL HISTORY
Barbara Ann Bracy
Barbara Ann’s Bar-B-Que
Delars Bracy left his hometown of Ruleville, Mississippi, as a young man and headed for Los Angeles, where he went to college. Eventually, he ended up in Chicago, where he was reunited with Bertie, his high school sweetheart. After starting a family, Delars decided to go to law school and had a career as a criminal lawyer for years. But he was also an entrepreneur. Delars dabbled in a variety of business ventures before eventually deciding to open a restaurant. In 1967 he opened a barbecue joint on Chicago’s South Side and named it after his daughter, Barbara Ann. Soon after, he opened Barbara Ann’s Motel on the same lot. Today, Barbara Ann Bracy carries on her father’s legacy. You can get rib tips and hot links that have been cooked in the original aquarium-style smoker, and you can still get a room at the motel. Barbara Ann hasn’t changed a thing. Well, maybe two things: you can now find turkey links and barbecued chicken on the menu at Barbara Ann’s Bar-B-Que.