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Looking for Signs of Food History


MarketStEl

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Over in a post I made to the "20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die" thread in Food Media and News, I raised a slight diversion relating to the birthplace of White Castle in Wichita, Kan.: Specifically, I had asked whether the State of Kansas had put up a historical marker at the site.

I then noted that my home state, Pennsylvania, is very aggressive about erecting historical markers to commemorate people, places and events great and small all over the Commonwealth.

This then got me to thinking: Has the Keystone State recognized food history with its trademark(ed) historical markers? (Yes, trademarked: the marker design is a registered trademark of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.)

So I decided I'd do a little search through the PHMC's database of state historical markers.

The database can be searched by subject category, but "Food" is not among the subjects. There are at least three, though, that touch on food, cooking, dining and hospitality: "Agriculture," "Inns" and "Taverns." Given this state's manufacturing heritage, it's quite likely that food-historical markers can also be found in categories like "Business & Industry" or "Entrepreneurs."

So what food milestones from the past might we find commemorated along Pennsylvania's highways and byways?

In "Agriculture," we find, among others, Johnny Appleseed (in Franklin, Venango County, commemorated in 1982), the Neshannock potato (in New Wilmington, Lawrence County, commemorated in 1948), W. Atlee Burpee (in Doylestown's Burpee Park, Bucks County, commemorated in 2000) and the York Imperial apple (just south of its namesake city, commemorated in 1948).

The pickings are scarcer in the "Inns" category. All of these are commemorated for the historical personages who stayed there, and yes, there is one where George Washington stayed (the Federal Inn in Reading).

Under "Taverns" we find one that is both Washington- and food-related: Fraunces Tavern (310 S. 2d in Philadelphia), owned by the man who ran the famous New York establishment of the same name and who served as Washington's chief cook when the President lived in Philadelphia from 1790 to 1794.

In "Business & Industry" we find one commemorating John Wagner, the man who brewed America's first lager beer, near the site of his brewery off American Street in Philly; one outside the now-shuttered General Wayne Inn in Narberth; one commemorating the first Girl Scout Cookie sale, at 1401 Arch Street; one honoring Henry J. Heinz on the north side of Pittsburgh's 16th Street Bridge, one in Hershey, at 19 E. Chocolate Ave., honoring the man, his works (including the chocolate factory) and the town that now bears his name; one in front of the Reading Terminal and Market (1133 Market Street); and one in the town of Saltsburg, a leader in the production of salt in the 19th century.

I'm sure that further rummaging through the database would produce more markers for people and places that have some significance in the history of food in America.

And what about your state? What food-related people and places does it see fit to commemorate?

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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I couldn't find an online list for my home state of Iowa, so because I actually live in Omaha, Nebraska:

The Florence Mill, at the site of the Mormon Winter Quarters in 1846-1847 (Omaha)

The Armour and Company Icehouse, one of the largest in the country, was used in the meat-packing industry as well supplying other businesses in the eastern part of the state (Memphis)

The Boettger Farm, "Champion White Wyandotte chickens were raised here. The land was nurtured with conservation measures and huge quantities of organic fertilizer from its Holstein dairy herd. The first demonstration by a Douglas County Extension Home Agent is said to have been presented here. In 1951 the first Nebraska fields of crown vetch, discovered and developed by former Nebraskan, Dr. Fred V. Grau, were planted as seed crop."

(near Omaha)

I did find a couple of cool facts on the Iowa Farmer Today website, that certainly deserve an historic marker! :wink:

The Delicious apple was developed by Madison County farmer Jesse Hiatt in the 1870s. He called it the Hawkeye apple, and the name was changed when Hiatt sold the rights in 1894. . . .

An Iowan named Robert Fullerton brought back several squash seeds from Denmark and gave them to the Sestier Brothers, master growers in Des Moines. Once known as the Des Moines squash, today it is better known as acorn squash.

Edited by thursdaynext (log)

"A good dinner is of great importance to good talk. One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." Virginia Woolf

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I did find a couple of cool facts on the Iowa Farmer Today website, that certainly deserve an historic marker!  :wink:
The Delicious apple was developed by Madison County farmer Jesse Hiatt in the 1870s. He called it the Hawkeye apple, and the name was changed when Hiatt sold the rights in 1894. . . .

An Iowan named Robert Fullerton brought back several squash seeds from Denmark and gave them to the Sestier Brothers, master growers in Des Moines. Once known as the Des Moines squash, today it is better known as acorn squash.

Y'know, it's almost as if the coastal folk don't want to associate foodstuffs with the Midwest!

It seems that only Kansas Citians call that cut of steak a "Kansas City strip," even though I will wager that it was first trimmed there and not in New York.

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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There is no historical marker for the original McDonald's stand in San Bernardino County, Ca., but there should be. There may be a museum some day.

There should also be (and isn't) a marker in Baldwin Park at the site of the first-ever drive-through hamburger restaurant, the original In-N-Out.

I guess we Californians don't honor our food-related historical sites.

Wait! Here's one, in Nevada County:

NO. 134 DONNER MONUMENT (or) PIONEER MONUMENT - Commemorates the ill-fated Donner party of California-bound emigrants, who wintered here in 1846-1847, many died of exposure and starvation.

Location: Donner Memorial State Park,Old Hwy 40 at I-80 and Truckee exit, Truckee

USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: TRUCKEE

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ID

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Being something of a Kansas relic myself (yes, I'm afraid it's true...I ate at the original Pizza Hut) I was a little afraid of finding my own picture so I was slow to respond to your challenge. I haven't dug too deeply yet but I did find a few interesting things on the Hysterical Society website that are food-ish. I'm much too lazy to provide separate links but all of these can be found on the Cool Thing Archive:

wooden brewer's clogs (from an early competitor of Anheuser-Busch, pre-Prohibition of course)

an old lunch cart made from a baby buggy

promotional giveaway items from White Castle and Pizza Hut (and a link to Harvey House page)

one of the original CocaCola machines made by Vendo of Kansas City

I don't believe there is, in fact, any marker on the original White Castle site, and the Pizza Hut site is probably under pavement as, unfortunately the original Stroud's will be soon. :angry:

I hope the Arthur Bryant's folks can prevent that venerable institution of BBQ, oft visited by presidents, from ever being bulldozed.

Thanks for the interesting topic. If I come across anything else I'll add it later. Oh, and California has a wealth of monuments to food...it's just that they're all still in business (Knott's, Tadich, Tiny Naylor's, dozens of coffee houses in the googie style like Pan's, the towns of Gilroy and Castroville, Cannery Row in Monterey, the old winery that houses the CIA's Greystone campus). :wink:

Judy Jones aka "moosnsqrl"

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.

M.F.K. Fisher

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Here in Florida we have a long history with crackers :cool:

Saltines, cheese-flavored, buttery, or water crackers?

:wink:

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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