Elvis Presley’s 1958 Visit to Hillsboro: A Stop at Andrews Café
March 28, 1958 — Andrews Café, 103 South Waco Street
On Friday, March 28, 1958, a bus carrying newly inducted Army recruits stopped in downtown Hillsboro for lunch. Among the passengers was 23-year-old Elvis Presley, already one of the most recognizable entertainers in America.
Just four days earlier, Presley had entered the United States Army in Memphis, Tennessee. After processing at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, he was traveling to Fort Hood, Texas, where he would begin basic and advanced training with the Second Armored Division.
The soldiers stopped at Andrews Café, a popular restaurant on South Waco Street near the intersection of Elm. At the time, Waco Street was part of U.S. Highway 77, a major north-south route through Central Texas before Interstate 35. Word of Presley's arrival quickly spread.
A Young Reporter Gets His First Story
Harry Wood, a 19-year-old employee of the Hillsboro Daily Mirror, arrived at Andrews Café around 12:30 p.m. and found people gathering outside, trying to see through the restaurant windows.
Wood had joined the newspaper in January as circulation manager and hoped eventually to become a sportswriter. With much of the newspaper staff away at lunch, the unexpected assignment of interviewing Elvis Presley fell to him.
Nick Andrews, one of the café's owners, unlocked the door to admit Wood and newspaper photographer O. J. Grizzle.
Inside, Wood spotted Presley seated along the far wall, eating what he remembered as a hamburger. Army officers initially stopped the young reporter from approaching, uncertain whether there was time for an interview.
Presley settled the matter himself.
"It's okay," he told them. "I'll talk to him between here and the bus."
As the group left the restaurant, Wood walked alongside Presley, asking questions while they passed the Texas Theater and Griffin Printing on South Waco Street.
Presley explained that he was headed to Fort Hood for armored training. He said the Army was treating him well and joked that he might have gained a pound or two. They also discussed his upcoming film King Creole and the restrictions military service would place on his recording and performing career.
By the time they reached the waiting bus near the newspaper office, the interview was over. Wood had gathered enough material to complete his first newspaper story.
Another Hillsboro Eyewitness
Ron Carr, who graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1957, independently recalled the visit in an article published in the Friona Star and Bovina Blade on August 15, 1997.
Carr was working at Barnard's Grocery when his employer sent him to make a deposit at Hillsboro State Bank, next door to Andrews Café. Bank employees were excited by reports that Elvis was eating nearby.
When Carr stepped outside, he encountered Presley preparing to board the bus. The two shook hands and exchanged a few friendly words.
Carr later remembered that Andrews Café displayed a brass plaque above the chair where Presley had eaten:
"Elvis Presley ate here and sat in this chair."
The Café Behind the Famous Visit
Andrews Café was already a Hillsboro institution when Elvis arrived. Established around 1916, the restaurant was associated with Greek immigrant Gus Andrews and his family. It became known for attentive service, carefully prepared meals, and a dining room that welcomed local residents, business travelers, politicians, and other visitors.
Nicholas J. "Nick" Andrews, Gus's nephew, helped operate the restaurant for approximately 25 years.
The café closed in 1969 after the building was sold to Hillsboro State Bank.
Gus and Angelica Andrews's daughter, Catherine, preserved photographs, menus, china, silver, and other reminders of the family business. She later supported the restoration of a room at the Hill County Cell Block Museum in memory of her parents, helping preserve the history of one of Hillsboro's best-known restaurants.
Among the surviving photographs is an image of Elvis Presley in uniform outside Andrews Café on March 28, 1958, accompanied by Harry Wood and Army personnel.
The photograph captures a brief moment in the life of downtown Hillsboro, when a routine lunch stop became a story recorded by local witnesses and preserved for future generations.
Historical Sources
Harry Wood, firsthand account of the Elvis Presley visit, recorded at the Hill County Cell Block Museum, October 4, 2024.
Ron Carr, "Out Here," Friona Star and Bovina Blade, August 15, 1997.
Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas, "Elvis in Texas."
Graceland, official Elvis Presley chronology, 1958–1961.
Catherine Andrews obituary, Dallas Morning News, January 2006.
Hill County Cell Block Museum, Andrews Café research and family collections.
Help Us Preserve Hill County History
Do you have old photographs, family stories, memories, documents, or information about Hill County, Texas? We would love to hear from you! Every contribution helps the Hill County Cell Block Museum preserve and share our community's history for future generations.
Email HillCountyMuseum@outlook.com or visit www.HillCountyMuseum.org to connect with us.
Visiting the Museum
Open Saturdays, April through October, 10 a.m.– 4 p.m.
Private tours available by appointment.
We are located steps from the Hill County Courthouse at 120 N. Waco Street, Hillsboro, Texas.
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