While WNC remained segregated, Horace Rutherford — rumored to never turn away business — wasn’t opposed to allowing white people to drink at his bar, and Roseland Gardens may have been the first integrated establishment in the region.
![](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/AE-Roseland-gardens-330x262.png)
While WNC remained segregated, Horace Rutherford — rumored to never turn away business — wasn’t opposed to allowing white people to drink at his bar, and Roseland Gardens may have been the first integrated establishment in the region.