Petie Brown - 2008

Petie Brown was the owner of the Summit Station bar, formerly known as Jack's A Go-Go. Brown started working at the bar in 1971 as a bartender when all she knew how to do was "open a beer." The bar quickly became know as a women's bar and was the first lesbian bar in Ohio and one of the first three in the nation. Brown bought the bar in 1980, renaming it Summit Station. She put every dime she had into the bar, so much that on her first night as owner she had to borrow money to put in the cash register. Summit Station wasn't only a safe place for women, but also supported many lesbian performers, drag king/queen groups, and was the home bar for the the National Women’s Football League team the Pacesetters. The bar also supported the Stonewall Union, and held benefits for organizations such as the Children’s Hospital, the Columbus AIDS Task Force, and CHOICES.
In her interview Brown talks about her childhood, her path to understanding her sexuality, and finding her community in college. She describes what it was like to be a lesbian growing up in rural Ohio where it wasn't always safe to be different, and the opportunities were limited. Brown discusses working in a machine gun factory, how she got a job at Summit Station, and the decision to make it a women's bar. The bar found a renewed life as a bar for women, but that came along with challenges of it's own including police harassment, angry men, and cops who wanted her to inform on her boss. Brown discusses the changes that began in the 80s with the start of Stonewall Union, the gay pride parade, and just more people being open about their sexuality. She concludes by talking about her religious beliefs, the charities supported by Summit Station, and how Columbus has changed for the better.
This is 1 of 2 oral histories from Petie Brown. The second includes the voices of other regulars at Summit Station and focuses more the things that went on in the bar especially their charity events. This other oral history can be found at: ohiomemory.org...