I have noticed that Mrs K’s have been closed for a month, word of possible fire.
If anyone have any further information, please post in comments.
Post from BrandywineMD.com and Facebook page.
If you are a historian of P.G. history, the YouTube/Watch video is well worth your 30 min. Who remembers Cleo’s Restaurant and Motel?Before there was a Mrs.k’s motel and restaurant, there used to be a Cleo’s Restaurant and Motel. Cleo’s Restaurant was built by Cleopatra Curtis on her families farm land in 1953. In 1969 after receiving a 30k loan from the Small Business Admin. , Ms Cleo’s built the 12 room motel addition. In 2006, I believe Ms. Cleo’s sold the property to Ms. B and it was developed into Mrs. K’s Restaurant and Motel.
The news article and stories are credit of The Washington Post. To walk into Cleo’s Restaurant and Motel in Upper Marlboro is to take a walk back in time. The place, like owner Cleopatra “Cleo” Curtis, is of an earlier era — one of tobacco farming, segregation and long drives from north to south. The broken jukebox, 1950s cigarette machine and blue vinyl chairs are clear signs that you are in another decade.Curtis opened Cleo’s on Aug. 23, 1953. As head of one of the oldest consecutively operated businesses in the county owned by an African American.
After I posted this story;
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16QST7ARkw/
One of Brandywine, Maryland followers, Kellie Tyler, to whom Ms. Cleo was her aunt, reached out and asked if I like to see some old pictures and provided this;”Before it became Mrs. K’s, my Aunt Cleo Curtis built this place on our family’s land, and it has been the go-to spot for years! I have some old pictures from back then that I can share too if you’re interested!”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2n6NpsXU81o#bottom-sheet
Youtube video producd by; Richard J. McCollough, M.Ed.@mirusmedia
https://m.youtube.com/@mirusmedia
Thank you, Ms. Taylor for sharing part of your families past.If anyone else has a news story about the past or old pictures that is local and would like to share on Brandywine Maryland FB, please leave me a message or email it to, Sean S LaGrand at web@brandywinemd.com
I have been driving passed Mrs.K’s for several weeks and there have been no signs of any renovations, I have noticed but there are a few cars parked on the motel side as usual.
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