Shealy’s Bar-B-Que

Shealy’s Bar-B-Que was established by Tom and Sara Shealy on Church Street in Leesville in 1969. Leesville is just over a half hour drive west of Columbia, South Carolina, and it is well worth the trip. Tom Shealy started barbecuing a couple of hogs a week back in the late 1950s to make some extra money. They sold their home and made barbecued pork from a stand until they took over a restaurant on Church Street in 1969 that had only been open for a year. It didn’t take long before Shealy’s Bar-B-Que became a local favorite. As time went on, Shealy’s reputation for great cooking at a reasonable price began to grow beyond the sleepy little farm town of Leesville — so much so that they have had their share of famous patrons, like the President of the United States, stopping by to sample their spread.