Know This Guy? Win This Photo.
For those that were in Raleigh in the early 70s, the “Peanut Man” was a loved fixture of the Capitol grounds. A favorite activity of many was to go by on a Sunday afternoon to buy peanuts and feed the pigeons. It was eventually deemed unsafe by the city to encourage the large congregation of pigeons (aka. air rats), so he stopped providing the food, and they eventually dispersed.
First person to post in the comments the real name of the Peanut Man wins this mounted photo.
Mounted photo courtesy of the Raleigh City Museum
Please do not answer if you have won one of these before.
Any cool Peanut Man stories to share?
Read More
Olde Raleigh , Other posts by Ladye Jane.
Tagged
Olde Raleigh State Capitol The Peanut Man
Related
Get Raleigh Updates
-
Misha McMurtray
06/14 01:34 PM
That’s the Peanut Man, he sold peanuts to feed to the pigeons at Capital Square in downtown
-
Dan
06/14 01:35 PM
burnace jenks
-
Jess Bowers
06/14 01:35 PM
His name is Burnace Jenks.
-
Misha McMurtray
06/14 01:35 PM
Oops, I think he’s Record Bar
-
Ian F.G. Dunn
06/14 01:41 PM
Jenks Burnice
-
Joy
06/14 01:41 PM
Jack Deal
-
currincy
06/14 01:44 PM
Carter Lee Linkous
-
150
06/14 02:10 PM
What happened to him after the city told him to stop? Did he do it somewhere else (Venice?) or did he completely stop feeding pigeons? Just curious.
-
J. Heydt Philbeck
06/14 02:16 PM
Johnnie C. “Peanut Man” Watson. See http://obit-obits.com/d20071111zp31
-
roi
06/14 03:08 PM
I’m not sure of his name; but I remember him. I would say his name was Bernice Jenks
-
Phillo
06/14 04:56 PM
Well, he must o’ thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a’ lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I’d get red
And some guy’d laugh and I’d bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain’t easy for a boy named “Bernice.”
-
neal
06/14 06:05 PM
james harris
-
Raleigh Boy
06/14 11:30 PM
@ Phillo
...or “a boy named Sue.” -
Karen Walker
06/15 12:57 PM
I remember the peanut man and going to feed the pigeons as a little girl (yes I am old). I do believe his name was Burnace Jenks.
-
Ladye Jane
06/15 05:41 PM
Dan, you win! Correct answer is Burnace Jenks.
-
Brian Sears
06/16 11:47 PM
Mr.Jenks should have charged by the picture, there are surely thousands of him. I remember seeing paintings of him in the State Fair arts competition too.
I heard somewhere that he was run off of his spot at the Capital after he was busted for selling drugs out of that cart.
Any truth to the rumor? -
Raleigh Boy
06/17 01:41 AM
Of course there’s no truth to that rumor. I have no idea how these things get started! You can read the real story of the Peanut Man in the comments section to this Goodnight Raleigh article on Capitol Square. http://goodnightraleigh.com/2008/06/reminiscences-of-raleigh-boy-part-2/
Share Your Thoughts
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.