Bug Tussle is in Cullman County at the intersection of state highways 69 and 91. We didn't find much there. The sign below announcing the Bugtussle Steak House was inviting, but the place was closed, as in permanently. We did stop at the Bug Tussle Marketplace, which has a couple of reviews and photographs on Yelp. Google Earth also shows a Dollar General and a few dwellings near the intersection.
State highway maps list the location as Wilburn (Bug Tussle). Virginia Foscue's Place Names in Alabama indicates Wilburn was the original name of the area, given to it by Charles Sandlin, the first postmaster. A post office operated there from 1903 to 1906. Foscue cites the "general assumption" that Bug Tussle indicates the presence of bugs in the area. However, that pretty much describes all of Alabama.
Note that the address given on the sales receipt below for the marketplace is "Bremen, AL", which is an unincorporated town further north on highway 69 toward Dodge City. Bremen is the location of Cold Springs Elementary and High Schools. According to Foscue, Bremen was originally called Empire when founded in 1860. After his appointment in 1879 the first postmaster James Macentepe changed it to avoid confusion with another town of that name and to honor the German city.
A 1990 Tuscaloosa News article discussing strange town names in Alabama can be found here. That article gives the origin of Bug Tussle this way: an old man climbed a nearby mountain [perhaps Cold Springs Mountain] and thought the movement of people below looked like bugs tussling.
Alabama's town is not the only U.S. Bug Tussle. The one in Texas is also spelled as two words, the ones in Kentucky and Oklahoma are one word. On January 4, 1967, a season 5 episode of the Beverly Hillbillies entitled "Mayor of Bug Tussle" was first broadcast. The Clampett's home state was never specified in that series, but in this episode Bug Tussle is identified as their home town.
I remember eating at the Bug Tussle Steakhouse back in the 80's. The rumor I heard about why it closed was because the owner got arrested for cattle wrangling. Apparently he was stealing cows and selling the cooked goods in his restaurant. I remember the ribeye steaks literally hanging over both sides of a large plate. Me and my mom would share a small and still take a lot home with us. My dad would order a large and take most of it home. Great place to eat, great drive to get there.
ReplyDeleteYep he got caught , I miss the steaks .
DeleteI lived 3 miles from Bug Tussel Steakhouse. Yep, its easy to sell steaks dirt cheap when you're stealing the meat.My parents ran a legit restaurant in the city of Cullman and couldn't come close to matching his prices.
DeleteThanks for sharing these great stories!
ReplyDeleteI ordered the Friday night speacial.
ReplyDeleteTwo 18 oz New York strips steaks for 7.95.
With salad, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, stuffing, green beans and more.
The owner came out and asked us how was the dinner.
I told him it was the best steakhouse in all the world?
He was proud and said the Alabama football team eats here.
Simply fabulous........
This was the first time I have ever heard of the big steak if you could eat it all it was free but most had to pay
DeleteThis is the first time I have ever heard of the big steak if you could eat it all it was free but most had to pay
DeleteYes I knew the man he was getting his cattle heard he turned him up.went to jail
DeleteWent there several times during the 70s and 80's. The last time I ate there was just before a high school basketball play-off game--9our school) Geraldine-vs Cold Springs. Of course the food was delicious--the outcome of the game not so good! Then sadly, it burned to the ground shortly after that. Any chance of reopening someday???
ReplyDeleteMy parents took me to eat at a bbq restaurant there in the 1970's. Can't recall the name of it.
ReplyDeleteI live 2 or 3 miles from there. The original "Bug Tussle Steakhouse" burnt to the ground in the late 90s, if I remember correct. The newer cafe, came later on. It's been closed for years now. I moved here from Birmingham in '90 or '91. I only ate, at the original spot once or twice. It was good for sure! I was probably 12 or 13. I never heard anything about any cattle wrangling, but Mr. Robbins, the owner of both the restraunt and store next door, was quite a character! He was always nice and cutting up with is kids. I went to high school with his grandaughters. Them was the days... Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comments and information!
ReplyDeleteBack in the early 1990's my colleagues and I were in the area doing a ventilation survey at a local coal mine. We wanted a good meal as we would spend the next 48 hours eating fast food lunches or quick breakfasts over 18 to 20 hour days. I recall the Bug Tussle Steakhouse challenge: a 4 lb. steak with all of the trimmings (full meal). If you could finish the dinner in one sitting, it was free otherwise you owed $60. Also, the place was decked out with neck ties that were cut in half (quaint practice). We survived the ventilation survey (just) but appreciated the steakhouse.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that memory!
DeleteYes, I ate there in 1990. The smallest steak was the 18 0z. filet mignon. The smallest sirloin was 24 oz. And the storey about the 48 oz. steak is true. I heard the rumor that the local football team would go to breakfast for steak the day of a game.
DeleteNo wonder they are big boys in Alabama!
Ate there a couple of times in the early eighties. The steaks were big as they say.
ReplyDelete