Peg Leg Bates
Encyclopedia
Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates (October 11, 1907 – December 8, 1998) was an Afro-American entertainer from Fountain Inn, South Carolina
.
Bates lost a leg at the age of 12 in a cotton gin
accident. He subsequently taught himself to tap dance
with a wooden peg leg. His uncle, Wit, made his crude first "peg leg" after returning home from World War I and finding his nephew handicapped.
Bates was a well-known dancer in his day. He performed on The Ed Sullivan Show
approximately 58 times, and had two command performances before the King & Queen of England in 1936 and then again in 1938. He retired from the dancing business in 1996.
He owned and operated the Peg Leg Bates Country Club in Kerhonkson, New York
, from 1951 to 1987, along with his wife Alice E. Bates.
This made Bates the first black resort owner in Ulster County in the Catskill Mountains, the famous Borscht Belt of Jewish resorts, hotels, and bungalow colonies.
He was also very active in the local Ellenville
Lions Club, and during the last ten years of his life he traveled regularly to schools, senior citizen centers, and nursing homes showing a video about his life and talking about his life experiences. He also helped found a local Senior Citizens Center in the Ellenville / Kerhonkson area.
He loved to tell youngsters that they could do anything they wanted. He would say "look at me."
During a USO
hospital tour, he partnered with vaudeville
tap dancer Dixie Roberts
, who said "he danced better with one leg than anyone else could with two."
Bates performed at an award ceremony at Hillcrest High School in his honor for receiving "The Order of the Palmetto" the highest civilian awarded by the state in his hometown of Fountain Inn, South Carolina. He collapsed on his way to church a day later, and died on December 8, 1998, at age 91.
The citizens of Fountain Inn erected a life-size statue that can be viewed in front of the city hall and Robert Quillen's library. There are signs at the entrance of the city saying "Peg Leg Bates' home town."
He was part of the first Louis Armstrong tour of Brittain in the mid 50's
PBS made a documentary of his life in the 1980s. The South Carolina ETV made a documentary about Bates in the early 2000s.
U.S. Route 209
in Ulster County, New York
has been named the "Clayton Peg Leg Bates Memorial Highway".
He is survived by his only child, daughter, Melodye Bates-Holden and her husband, Preston Holden.
They live in Kerhonkson, New York.
Fountain Inn, South Carolina
Fountain Inn is a city in Greenville and Laurens counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 6,017 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
Bates lost a leg at the age of 12 in a cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
accident. He subsequently taught himself to tap dance
Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
with a wooden peg leg. His uncle, Wit, made his crude first "peg leg" after returning home from World War I and finding his nephew handicapped.
Bates was a well-known dancer in his day. He performed on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
approximately 58 times, and had two command performances before the King & Queen of England in 1936 and then again in 1938. He retired from the dancing business in 1996.
He owned and operated the Peg Leg Bates Country Club in Kerhonkson, New York
Kerhonkson, New York
Kerhonkson is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 1,684 at the 2010 census.Kerhonkson is a small hamlet which, along with Accord, makes up the Town of Rochester on US 209, just south of the town's boundary with the Town of Wawarsing and just north of where US 44...
, from 1951 to 1987, along with his wife Alice E. Bates.
This made Bates the first black resort owner in Ulster County in the Catskill Mountains, the famous Borscht Belt of Jewish resorts, hotels, and bungalow colonies.
He was also very active in the local Ellenville
Ellenville, New York
Ellenville is a village in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 4,135 at the 2010 census. The postal ZIP code is 12428. The telephone exchange is predominantly 647 and an overlaid 210 in the 845 area code.- Geography :...
Lions Club, and during the last ten years of his life he traveled regularly to schools, senior citizen centers, and nursing homes showing a video about his life and talking about his life experiences. He also helped found a local Senior Citizens Center in the Ellenville / Kerhonkson area.
He loved to tell youngsters that they could do anything they wanted. He would say "look at me."
During a USO
United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military, with programs in 160 centers worldwide. Since 1941, it has worked in partnership with the Department of Defense , and has provided support and...
hospital tour, he partnered with vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
tap dancer Dixie Roberts
Dixie Roberts
Dixie Roberts was a vaudeville tap and specialty dancer, who also danced in chorus lines and performed musical comedy. A featured dancer in the Ziegfeld Follies, she was often billed as the dancer who "taps with a Southern accent", although she was born in Elmhurst, New York. She explained her...
, who said "he danced better with one leg than anyone else could with two."
Bates performed at an award ceremony at Hillcrest High School in his honor for receiving "The Order of the Palmetto" the highest civilian awarded by the state in his hometown of Fountain Inn, South Carolina. He collapsed on his way to church a day later, and died on December 8, 1998, at age 91.
The citizens of Fountain Inn erected a life-size statue that can be viewed in front of the city hall and Robert Quillen's library. There are signs at the entrance of the city saying "Peg Leg Bates' home town."
He was part of the first Louis Armstrong tour of Brittain in the mid 50's
PBS made a documentary of his life in the 1980s. The South Carolina ETV made a documentary about Bates in the early 2000s.
U.S. Route 209
U.S. Route 209
U.S. Route 209 is a long U.S. highway in the states of Pennsylvania and New York. Although the route is a spur of U.S. Route 9, US 209 never intersects US 9, making the connection via U.S. Route 9W instead. The southern terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania...
in Ulster County, New York
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
has been named the "Clayton Peg Leg Bates Memorial Highway".
He is survived by his only child, daughter, Melodye Bates-Holden and her husband, Preston Holden.
They live in Kerhonkson, New York.