Jezebel
Today, we celebrate the memory of Jezebel with our own version of her “Oar House” (it’s a nautical term). Her image after drinking the magic potion is kept alive on our t-shirts, our menus, and our life-size carving at the entrance.
Enjoy our Oar House and keep a close lookout for Jezebel in the Bayou... you never know when she may surface again!
The Legend of Jezebel
In 1929, shortly after World War I, the lovely young Jezebel moved to Pensacola from the Turks and Caicos in the West Indies. It was there she met a handsome naval aviator who was stationed at the then newly-constructed Naval Air Station (NAS), Pensacola. She was a beautiful woman who loved the young officer with all her heart.
For thirteen years they lived a happy life, swimming, fishing and enjoying the beautiful Gulf of Mexico and other waters surrounding Pensacola. They made their home right here on Bayou Chico, next to the old drawbridge where The Oar House stands today.
Jezebel’s husband was sent to the Philippines in 1942 to defend our country, where he was shot down and presumed dead. After hearing the news, Jezebel was distraught and lonely, knowing that no one would ever fill the shoes of her first love. Because the Navy never found his body, however, Jezebel clung to the hope that he still may be alive.
Years went by, and to raise a little money, Jezebel started a business here on Bayou Chico. The place became very popular with the young sailors: a simple bar and grill with “a little extra on the side.”
One day, while Jezebel was fishing in the bayou for the evening’s dinner special, she caught an amazing talking fish. The magical creature told her that her husband was still alive, and living as a fish, waiting for her in the ocean. Jezebel, who was so desperate to see her lover again, demanded to know how she could join him in the water. The fish instructed her to drink a special potion, a mix from the magical waters of Bayou Chico. The fish promised that the mixture would allow her to become a fish and be able to join her husband.
She ran home and dressed up so she could be ready to meet her lost love. She guzzled down the magic water, and dove from the draw bridge, surfacing several times and leaping in joy as only a great fish can.