The Story of Old Arthur

In the spring of 1837, a Missouri infant was born into slavery. His birth heralded the beginning of the Watts family which perpetuates today.

Arthur Watts grew to manhood in Randolph County Missouri, experiencing firsthand the many atrocities of slavery. In his youth, Arthur worked as a cook in his “owner’s” household. He was also responsible for tending horses and tobacco crops. He survived being kicked in the head by a horse and carried with him the rest of his life the cure of the times. A silver dollar placed in the wound as a protective plate. His physical strength and work ethic were legend. Arthur could shoulder a full keg of whisky and a county law made it illegal for him to hit any man with his closed fists, even in self defense. This was due to an injury he had once caused, defending himself against 3 men.

Arthur was intensely proud of his six older brothers whom had run away to fight for the Union Army. Later generations of the Watts family enjoyed sitting on his lap as youngsters, listening to his life experiences and the many exciting stories he had to tell, amongst which was an early encounter with Abraham Lincoln. Arthur (and one of his brothers, Isum) lived to be well over 100 years old.

Arthur brought out of slavery an enduring passion for open pit barbecue, and his own unique recipe for a delicious red barbecue sauce. As a free man, Arthur’s cooking skills and his reputation for preparing exceptionally tasty barbecue became legendary. His knowledge and expertise were passed down over the years to his children.

In 1945, the Kewanee, Illinois newspaper covered a story on one of his son’s, Eudell, preparing the annual Labor Day, open pit barbecue, fund-raiser for his church. He was doing so under the supervision of his 106 year old father. Over a 20’ long x 4’ wide open- pit, he cooked pork shoulders and used Arthur’s now legendary “red sauce” as a finishing touch to the open faced sandwiches.

Eudell, along with his brothers, sons, and nephews were frequently called on from their home in Kewanee to prepare barbecue in communities throughout central Illinois . Notable events include; a festival in celebration of the city of Kewanee’s designation as “The Hog Capital of the World,” and later, in 1954, at Kewanee’s Centennial Celebration, were Eudell supervised 300 volunteer workers and the construction of a pit 150’ long x 4’ wide. Over 10,000 pounds of fresh pork shoulder were cooked for the event and 50,000 pork sandwiches were splashed with Arthur’s original “red sauce” and given away to the thousands of people in the Kewanee Downtown Business District.