The Life and Times of Edward and Mattie Berry: Achievement Against the Odds
Written by Connie Perdreau, Local Historian
Director of Education Abroad, Ohio University
March 2004

No commemoration of the history of Athens, Ohio, would be complete without notable attention to the life and accomplishments of one of the area's leading citizens and business entrepreneurs, Edward Cornelius Berry (1854 -1931) and his wife, supporter, and life-long help-mate, Mattie Madrey Berry (1855 - 1941).

Edward Berry was described by famed educator and author Booker T. Washington in 1907 as "the leading hotel-keeper of color in this country," in his book, The Negro in Business. Washington goes on to state that Mr.Berry is "one of those pioneers of our race who has conquered race prejudice by achieving a business success." Although far from completely "conquering race prejudice," Berry was able to achieve phenomenal success as a hotel-owner, restauranteur, caterer, and business entrepreneur. Indeed, he was an innovator in establishing what is now considered common practice in American hotel services. Berry's success was attained despite living in an era when overt racism, segregation, and discrimination were ubiquitously practiced as social and econ omic norms. It must be remembered that Athens, lying below the Mason-Dixon line, often took on the environment, ambience, and customs of the South, even though Ohio was a free state.

Local historians have often described Edward Berry as achieving Horatio Alger-type success, rising from "rags to riches" - the poor boy who eventually became one of the richest men in town - only this young man was of African American descent, living in a country that had recently been torn apart by the Civil War, born while slavery was still a peculiar and very legal institution in this country. Given the life and times of late 19th and early 20th century America, how did Berry succeed? The answer to this question is indeed a tribute to the fascinating life and astonishing achievements of Edward Berry.

Edward Berry was born in Ohio to a free Black family living in Oberlin on December 19, 1854. Seeking educational opportunities for their children, the family moved to Albany, Ohio, just 11 miles southwest of the city of Athens, in 1856, where Edward Berry's father, Cornelius Berry, eventually became one of the founders of the Albany Enterprise Academy, one of the few schools owned and operated by people of c olor in the United States at the time. Edward Berry was able to attend this academy for a short time; however, in 1868, upon the death of his father, 14-year old Ed had to leave school in order to seek employment to help support his family, in which there were 8 younger siblings at the time. He was first employed as a brick-maker, helping to produce the bricks and mortar used for the Athens State Hospital in the location now known as the Ridges. Pa id five cents an hour for his labor, sometimes hauling bricks until his hands were cut to the quick, Berry would proudly say in later years, "I helped build that hospital when I was just a boy."

During those early, lean years, Berry learned and practiced what would become life-long work habits contributing to his success. Over the span of his life, in everything Berry attempted, he e xhibited the following characteristics:!) pride in honest labor, no matter how menial, 2) thrift in thought, word, and deed: Berry was known as a modest, rather quiet man who never used tobacco or drank alcohol, 3) creative energy, with the courage to try new and innovative business strategies, 4) tenacious determination and commitment to succeed, despite discriminatory obstacles which sometimes rose in his path, and 5) an extraordinary dedication to the ideal of fair-play and humane treatment of people of all races.

As the years passed and Ed Berry became a young man, he took various and sundry jobs in which he practiced the above principles. In addition to brick-making, he would work as a delivery boy, waiter, dishwasher, and eventually cook and caterer in establishments in Athens, the county seat, where there was a small, but thr iving college community and a growing number of business establishments. In 1877, at the age of 23, Ed Berry married his life-long companion and helpmate, Mattie Madrey, an attractive young woman originally from Pomeroy who actively shared and supported Ed's desire to succeed as a business entrepreneur. It was the perfect partnership in terms of both their marriage and their business goals, and they worked hand in hand over the many years of their union.

Ed and Mattie Berry soon decided to start their own establishment, a small ice-cream shop on West State Street, the front window proudly displaying the words E. C. Berry Ice Cream. It was well known not only for its delectable homemade ice cream, but also for confections such as lady fingers, macaroons, taffy and caramels. It was a popular shop for children and O.U. studen ts alike, but the Berrys had even greater sights in mind.

In 1892, Ed Berry bought a major piece of property in the heart of North Court Street on which he built a 20-room hotel, later to be enlarged to 55 rooms, complete with an elevator and built-in closets, and called it the Hotel Berry. It was an audacious move for a black man at the time. Athens was then a small village, but there was a tangible presence of over 300 local people of color living within its boundaries. It was a Black community with two churches, a variety of social organizations, and several Black-owned businesses. They celebrated Emancipation Proclamations and boasted several fraternal lodges.

Berry was initially and periodically throughout his career refused credit by local bankers; however he outsmart ed his adversaries by enlisting the support of at least one local white resident, who advanced Berry with the necessary funds to run his hotel. In the beginning, some citizens, primarily hotel competitors, pressured potential guests into boycotting the Hotel Berry. Others, embittered tradesmen, refused to sell Berry goods that he needed to purchase to run the establishment. However, these measures were just temporary setbacks which did not deter the Berrys from forging on with their dream of operating the finest hotel in Ohio.

What made the Hotel Berry an icon of the American hotel business? First of all, it was an impressive structure. The exterior architecture with its balconies and elegant window treatments and facade gave it a stately presence, and the interior was distinguished by a charm and grace noted by virtually all who entere d its doors. There was a front office, reading room, tiled front rooms, superb dining room, and an elegant ball-room which served as the venue for many a banquet, wedding, reception, and dance hosted by town and gown alike. It had electrical lighting throughout, and there were electric return call bells. A white desk clerk manned the hotel desk by day, and a black one was on board at night. According to accounts, Ed and Mattie Berry stayed mostly b ehind the scenes, in the back part of the hotel and the kitchen area, supervising the cooking staff and making sure that all tasks were accomplished up to par with the high Berry standards.

The cuisine definitely showed signs of the Berry touch: oyster stew, fried oysters, steaks, chicken, homemade brown bread, fruit cakes and, of course, a varied assortment of desserts, confecti oneries, and the traditional hand-churned Berry ice cream, to name but a few of the specialties on the menu. The service was excellent; the Berrys truly knew how to please their clients and took immense pride in doing so. If times were busy, Ed Berry himself acted in any capacity to make sure that things ran smoothly, sometimes waiting on tables or helping in the lobby when there was a full house. His demeanor was such that he was often mistaken as a servant in the hotel, and found himself being tipped by clients, who had utterly no idea that it was Mr. Edward Cornelius Berry who had been of service to them. Afterwards, Ed Berry always returned such tips to the guests in their hotel mailbox or credited their accounts with the amount of the tip. One can imagine the shock of these guests upon discovery that their mild-mannered black waiter was actually the very wealthy and successful owner of the hotel!

The Berrys went on to become innovators of American hotel management and practice. Their strong faith prompted them to be the first to place Bibles in every hotel room. Moreover, their attention to the needs of their guests resulted in their placing needle, thread, buttons and a pincushion in every room, a harbinger of today's hotel sewing kit. Mattie Berry was famous for repair ing guests' clothing at night, while Ed Berry made sure the clothes were cleaned and replaced in the guest's room by dawn of the next day.
The popularity of the Hotel Berry grew by leaps and bounds, with the Berrys having to more than double the number of rooms of the original edifice. It became a favorite resting spot for traveling salesmen and contained an adjunct barbershop run by local black residents. Indeed, the Hotel Berry was o ne of prime economic importance to the community of color, as many held service positions in the hotel.

Mr. and Mrs. Berry were generous philanthropists in both the university and town communities. Deeply religious, the Berrys were faithful members of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, and in 1905 Ed Berry led the fund-raising drive to construct the church building currently standing at the corner o f Carpenter and North Congress Streets, contributing a substantial amount of money to the project himself. Moreover, the Berrys donated generously to the construction of the Ohio University campus gate, a donation made in the name of John Newton Templeton, OU's first black graduate who, in 1828, was one of the first African Americans to receive a college degree in the country.
Finally, after more than 40 years of operating businesses in the city of Athens, the Berrys retired in 1921, selling the Hotel Berry for the princely sum of $100,000 to a group of Athens residents (who, incidentally, changed the name from the Hotel Berry to the Berry Hotel) and building their own brick retirement home adjacent to their beloved church at 92 North Congress in 1923. A number of local residents were owners of the house over the years, but in 1994, it was purchased by Phi Kappa Theta fraternity and still serves as its fraternity home today.

In retirement, Edward Berry served as a trustee of Wilberforce University, and lived his final years in the same quiet, modest manner which distinguished his life. His niece, Minnie Bell, reported that he didn't like people "to make a fuss over him," and said literally hundreds of people through the years came to him from all parts of America and abroad, asking about his life, and how he accomplished what he had. Ed Berry replied that he had worked hard all his life, but success didn't come quickly or early. It took him most of his life to build up his business.