Just down Hillsboro Street from the former N.C. Equipment Co. and its famous bulldozer sign is a nondescript little concrete block building where a succession of dive bars have occupied the space for decades. But in the late 1960s and early 1970s it was home to Mr. Ribs restaurant. They served ribs and steaks, baked potatoes and lettuce salads, and that was about it. In those days if you wanted a meat and potato meal you went to Mr. Ribs. At least that’s where my dad always took our family.

Back then several gas stations, garages, automotive supply stores, barbershops, laundries and like businesses occupied those two or three blocks of Hillsboro St. between the N.C. Equipment Co. and Fergussen’s Hardware.

Mr. Ribs was an unassuming place and was decked out in typical 1960s steakhouse décor: open kitchen with a blazing grill in the front window, red checkered vinyl table cloths and those ubiquitous netted red candle lamps. There was even a large fake stone gas log fireplace along one wall. As such, Mr. Ribs was an unpretentious, homey joint.

I guess my familiarity with the place was probably why I took a job in the kitchen there the last semester of my sophomore year at N.C. State. I was the dishwasher, and although that is a thankless job if there ever was one, for the most part I enjoyed my stint there. Most of the employees were fellow State students.

At that time I was a vegetarian, and the irony of working around all that meat was not lost on me. We employees were allowed one meal during our shift so I ended up eating a lot of baked potatoes, which I slathered with butter and sour cream. I even took home the unserved baked potatoes and made potato salad.

Every few weeks or so, a local state politico made an appearance with his entourage in tow. The only reason I remember this is because upon his departure he would always tip the kitchen staff. The tip was only a few bucks, but I did think that was a pretty classy gesture.
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Look at the figure below the window on the lower level far left

Back in April of this year, I posted the photos included here in an article titled The Ghost of the Capitol Building. I more or less gave the details of how I got the image, that there were no people around, and that I didn’t necessarily think it was a ghost.

Close-up version of the unidentified terrestial object

At the time, M. Lail, (of the Raleigh Philosophical Society) commented that the place was known to be haunted. Until reading his comment, I had no idea that the place has been rumored to have paranormal activity. Earlier this week, he again mentions the haunted nature of the Capitol Building.

As I briefly alluded to in that post, I do not believe in the paranormal.  Having said that, this photo leaves me scratching my head without explanation.

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A sign appeared recently in the storefront window of 133 E. Hargett St. announcing the soon-to-open Remedy Diner. This addition to the street scene will join The Landmark, Adam Cave Fine Art and other new establishments in the resurgence this block of Hargett has been experiencing in recent months. The name “Remedy” intrigued me, and I wondered if it might be a nod to the locally noted physician who once occupied this building many years ago.

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