The Online Catalog allows searching and browsing of information about the Florida State Archives’ holdings of over 48,000 cubic feet of state and local government records and historical manuscripts. The catalog provides descriptions of over 3,400 collections and lists the contents of containers and folders in many of those collections. For assistance with accessing and using State Archives collections, call our Reference Staff at 850.245.6719 or email us at archives@dos.myflorida.com.
Patrick "Pat" Henry Chappelle was born in LaVilla in Jacksonville, Florida in 1869, one of fourteen children born to parents formerly enslaved in South Carolina. Pat was musically gifted and left school after fourth grade to play guitar in traveling string bands. He later performed throughout Florida in restaurants and saloons.
In 1899, Chappelle returned to Jacksonville and organized his first traveling show, the Imperial Colored Minstrels, and opened a pool hall. Despite his early success with both ventures, Chappelle clashed with the mayor of Jacksonville over finances and shuttered his business. He moved to Tampa and partnered with fellow Black entrepreneur R.S. Donaldson to open the Buckingham Theatre Saloon in the Fort Brooke neighborhood of Tampa. The Buckingham Theatre opened in September 1899 to immediate success, selling out shows to standing room only and receiving critical acclaim in newspapers around the country.
In early 1900, the popularity of their shows at the Buckingham Theatre Saloon led Chappelle and Donaldson to create the Rabbit's Foot Company, a traveling vaudeville show with an all-Black company that would play in theatres rather than the traditional canvas tents. Although Pat's friendship with Donaldson quickly dissolved, he joined with his brothers James and Lewis to form Chappelle Bros. and they organized a small vaudeville circuit that played at venues throughout Georgia and Florida, including the Buckingham Theatre in Tampa. At the time of Pat Chappelle's death in 1911, the Rabbit's Foot Company was one of the most successful troupes in the United States and it continued touring until the 1950s.
Summary:
This collection consists of two ledgers documenting gambling games, alcohol sales, and payroll at the Buckingham Theatre in Tampa, Florida. The first page of Volume 1 lists the winnings from various gambling games, including poker, dice, craps, and cards. It then lists the amount of stock sold each day, primarily liquor, beer, and mixers. This volume also contains a section of payroll that documents the weekly payment of each member of the company, including salaried amount and date of payment. Some specify the employee as a performer or musician.
Volume 2 provides a more itemized account of the company's payroll, along with a name index at the beginning. Organized by employee name, each entry includes the date, a list of payments and charges incurred (drinks, food, fines, etc.), and amount. The fines result from such charges as using bad language, missing or arriving late to rehearsals, smoking in the orchestra, and fighting.
Finding Aids:
Volume listing available. 0
Additional Physical Form:
Reproduction Note:
Location of Originals/Duplicates:
Associated Materials:
Language Notes:
Ownership/Custodial History:
Publication Note:
General Note:
Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
Minstrel shows Theaters Florida
Ledgers. aat
Tampa (Fla.)
for detailed listing.