Last week I introduced you to Phillip Weidmann, the restaurateur, but there is much more to admire about him.

 

You see, he liked to not only feed his diners but entertain them as well. That’s when he opened The Egyptian Room. He operated it as a  night club, and it was located at the present location of the Liberty Shop on 22nd Avenue.

 

Phillip was filled with creativity, and he decided to include a “mummy” as part of The Egyptian Room’s  decoration. People around town were flabbergasted and at the same time, very interested.

 

As an  interesting aside, Jan Garber, a well-known orchestra leader during the Big Band Era, actually began his career at The Egyptian Room in Meridian. Big things were moving along in this little southern town, and it all centered around Weidmann’s.

 

It was said and noticed that Phillip liked to play his role of restaurateur with flair and so he did. People said he was “always there at the door greeting customers in a very gracious way, and a white napkin was usually present on his person.”

 

And folks around town remembered that Phillip and his family actually lived in an apartment above the restaurant for a time. It was there that his son, Henry was born.

 

And there was the time Phillip let his hair grow in order to plait it into a traditional Chinese queue and why was that? Because he had the idea to make part of the restaurant capable to offer Chinese cuisine. I understand it was very popular.

 

It was in 1923 that Weidmann’s permanently moved to its present location and by 1927 Phillip Weidmann left this world to gain his Heavenly award.

 

Now that Phillip had passed, what would become of Weidmann’s Restaurant? Be sure and read next week’s The Meridian Star to find out.

 

Anne McKee is executive director at Meridian Railroad Museum.