The "Lancaster's Pioneer Ice Cream Maker" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking out the LNP Sunday newspaper when I came across a story about a company in Lancaster known as Marrow Ice Crean Company.  I have lived in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania for 76 years now and have never heard of this company.  And, to top that off, I lived right next to it for a few years as a child when I lived on East Orange Street.  

George Brayton Marrow

The company was founded by George Brayton Marrow who opened his ice cream business in 1880 in a corner store at North Plum and East Orange Streets on the east side of the city.  When he first opened his business he would arise daily at 4:00 AM to drive his buggy team into Lancaster County so he could buy fresh milk and eggs which he used to make his ice cream.  His ice cream was known throughout the area as "Marrow's Ice Cream."  He eventually moved his business to 425 East Orange Street which was on the corner of Orange and Sherman Street, in his confectionery shop directly across the corner from my childhood home on the second floor of a corner barbershop.  George was in the ice cream manufacturing business for 74 years and was the oldest ice cream manufacturer in the state.  

425 East Orange Street was the home
of Marrow's Ice Cream Shop.

His confectionery shop became a popular spot for Sunday strollers who walked out East King Street and returned to town by way of East Orange Street.  They almost always stopped for refreshments at Marrow's Ice Cream shop.  George was also known to haul his ice cream around the city in a wagon drawn by his trusty horse Princess.   When I lived near his store as a child, he had become associated with the Hershey Creamery Co. of Harrisburg and eventually served as director and vice-president of the Hershey firm until his death.  Mr. Morrow was a big fan of the Philadelphia Athletics and at the age of 90 got to meet Connie Mack who was 85 at the time.  They met at Shibe Park for the opening of the 1948 baseball season.  

The Ice Cream Shop to the right and my home until
I was school age to the left.  We lived on the 2nd floor.

Mr. Marrow had attended A's games in Philadel- phia for about 40 years and tried to see them at least once a week.  Mr. George B. Marrow was born in Strasburg, PA on March 20, 1858 and became an apprentice as a youth in the confectionery business of Samuel Demuth.  He later worked for George Erisman on North Queen Street and East Grant Street, next to what became the Woolworth Store in downtown Lancaster.  

His home at 535 E. King Street

He loved to collect and refinish antiques in his yard at 535 E. King Street.  A few pieces which he had restored were displayed in his yard and drew the admiration of passers-by.  One piece was a fountain of a little boy and girl while the other was a wooden figurehead from a ship once owned by a local man.  He was also one of the oldest members of the Lancaster Lodge #134, BPO Elks as well as a member of the Moose, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and the Artisans as well a a member of the Grace Lutheran Church.  He died at the age of 96 and was considered a pioneer in the ice cream manufacturing business.  Oh yeah, he was also a neighbor of the Woods' family at one time.  I'm sure I must have eaten a few Marrow ice cream cones as a child.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
  
The following advertisements were published in Lancaster newspapers.  Click on images to enlarge.

  

The, I'll Have A Cherry & Whipped Cream With 3 Scoops Of Ice Cream Under It!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Cool, but not cold; breezy, but not windy; great day for a bowl of ice cream, as always.  A week ago I bought a 1.75 quart of Dutch Farms "Bullwinkle" ice cream made by Nelson's.  It was vanilla with peanut butter cup and fudge in it.  Had a sale on it at our local grocery store and being that it was about a half-inch taller container than most others, I fell for the deal for only $2.50.  Was it any good?  Well, the best part of it was that it had an extra serving in the container than most other ice cream containers have today.  Other than that, I doubt if I would buy it again.  I do have a few favorites, with plain vanilla being my all time favorite, since I can have fresh peaches on it in the fall, strawberries on it in the spring, chocolate syrup on it anytime, etc., etc., etc.  

It was said that Alexander the Great also enjoyed snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar.  Nero Claudius Caesar frequently sent runners into the mountains for snow so he could flavor it with fruits and juice.  When Marco Polo came on the scene in Italy about 1,000 years ago, he had a recipe that is very similar to what we now call sherbet.  This recipe was tweeked until it somehow looked and tasted like what we call ice cream today.  About the same time in history, England came up with about the same product as our ice cream.  But, it was called "Cream Ice" and Charles the Ist loved  the dessert.  France was introduced to a frozen dessert in 1553 by the Italian Catherine de Medici when she married Henry II of France.  By 1660 the general public was enjoying the cool treat.  Sicilian Procopio had a recipe he made by blending milk, cream, butter and eggs at the Paris Café Procope.  But, it wasn't introduced to the United States until 200 years before I was born in 1944 when the Governor of Maryland's guest, William Bladen made it for him.  On May 12, 1777 the New York Gazette published an advertisement that Philip Lenzi sent to them that announced that he had ice cream on a daily basis.  In 1790 President George Washington ate nearly $200 worth of ice cream during the summer months ($5,611.20 worth in today's economy).  It was about this time in history that insulated ice houses were invented and in 1851 a Baltimore milk dealer began making and selling ice cream. Then, in 1874 the American soda fountain shop opened and "Soda Jerks" all over the country went to work making ice cream sodas.  Many religions criticized their congregations for eating the "sinfully" rich ice cream sodas on Sunday so the Soda Jerk began to leave out the soda water on Sundays and the ice cream Sundae was born!   

Do you remember the Good Humor Truck?

During WWII ice cream became an edible morale symbol for our troops.  Even our war ships got into it with the "floating ice cream parlor."  Ice cream production has been constant since that time.  In Italy there is an annual Gelatimo ice-cream festival every year in Forno di Zoldo.  This past year Dimitri  Panciera achieved the Guinness World Record when he piled an incredible 121 balls of ice cream onto one cone.  The rules state that the cone can be no greater that 3.74 inches in diameter and that once the scoops have been placed on the cone, they must remain on the cone without falling for 10 seconds.  Now that's something I'm going to have to begin practicing for so I can enter it next year.  Hey...someone will break the record sometime...why not me (but not with "Bullwinkle" flavor).  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

In 2014 I took my grandson, Caden, to a local ice cream dealer and we made our own flavor.

This is Dimitri Panciera with his prize winning ice cone of 121 balls of ice cream on it.
Guy looks to skinny for eating ice cream as much as it looks like he does.

The "The Ice Cream Boat" Story

Riding the ferry to Pinel Island.

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in the front row on a lounge chair with a beach umbrella providing the shade.  Carol and I decided to make a visit to one of our favorite spots while on the island of St. Martin.  A few hundred yards off beautiful Orient Beach is a small spit of land known as Pinel Island.  

View of Pinel from the ferry boat.

We have been making visits for many years to the island to relax on the white sand beach and take a dip in the clear blue water that is only waist high for close to fifty feet from the shoreline.  The island is uninhabited except for the many iguanas that make their home in the small hills on the island.  Every trip to the island finds us walking to the top of the island to snap a photograph from the same location so we can compare the shoreline from year to year.  

The spit of land where the beach is located can be seen
from the top of the island.

Sand in the nearby channel changes the beach from year to year and its interesting to see the changes each year.  Beach chairs and umbrellas are for rent as your ferry boat arrives at the dock and food is available at a nearby restaurant which brings food supplies daily by boat to the island.  In recent years we have found one new addition in the form of a small boat with a colorful sign across the top of it which reads "Ice Cream Boat."  It is St. Martin's seagoing rendition of a United States Mister Softee Truck.  

Lily and her Ice Cream Boat.

The young woman that runs the ice cream boat is named Lily.  Most days we visit she can be found in the shallows around Pinel Island.  Lily was a resident of Normandy, France before she decided to set sail and see the world.  She eventually found her way to the French side of St. Martin where she settled and bought a Mako boat that she rigged with solar panels to power the sub-zero freezer that she uses to keep her products cold.  What makes it so nice for adults as well as children is that she can bring her boat close to shore and everyone can reach the boat since the water in usually no more than three feet deep.  

Food is being prepared at the restaurant while
the iguana waits for a scrap of food from the cook.

You know she has arrived when you hear her horn blow.  Lily got her idea for the ice cream boat after seeing much the same thing along the Mediter- ranean as she began her world travels a few years ago.  Her ice cream is local so you get to experience local products when you buy from her.  She enjoys making her visits to Pinel, but would someday like to sail to Tahiti.  When Hurricane Irma struck in 2017 everyone wondered if and when she would return to Pinel Island, but when the beach chairs returned to the island, she was right behind them looking for customers.  One day she will get the urge to explore again and we will have to do without our afternoon treat from the St. Martin Ice Cream Boat.  But, for now, my afternoon treat of ice cream is still intact.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "It's Made With Ice Cream...It Has To Be Good! Story

Hemingways on the island of Antigua.

It was an ordinary day.  Walking up the stairs at Hemingways Caribbean Cafe on the island of Antigua with my wife, Carol, and traveling friends Jere and Just Sue.  Halfway up the stairs I yell to Jere, "How about we have a banana split for lunch!"  It was more a statement than a question, and he yelled back, "Sounds good to me."  Hey, we're on vacation and you should be able to have dessert anytime you want.  Fifteen minutes later we were digging into our delicious treats while the girls were eating their rather bland salads.  Now, you do know what a REAL banana split is, don't you? A fellow by the name of David Strickler invented the banana split in 1904 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  He happened to be a 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist at Tassel Pharmacy who enjoyed inventing sundaes at the store's soda fountain.  His creation, which actually was called a triple ice cream sundae, originally cost 10 cents which was twice the price of a regular sundae.  In no time it became a popular treat with the students of nearby Saint Vincent College who frequented the soda fountain between classes.  David eventually bought the pharmacy, naming it Strickler's Pharmacy.  

Jere Just Sue and Carol talk to the waitress at Hemingways.

In 2004 the city of Latrobe celebrated the 100th anniversary of the invention of the banana split while at the same time the National Ice Cream Retailers Association certified the city of Latrobe as being the city where the first banana split was made.  Not wanting to be outdone, the city of Wilmington, Ohio claims that they split a banana lengthwise, threw it into an elongated dish and allegedly created the banana split.  The year was 1907, three years after David's invention.  Perhaps they never heard of Latrobe in Wilmington.  

A REAL banana split.  Banana split in two and placed in
an elongated dish.  Vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice
cream are piled on next with caramel, strawberry and
cocolate sauces next.  Topped with whipped cream and cherry.

The treat actually gained popularity in a Chicago Walgreens Store when Charles Rudolph Walgreen adopted the banana split as a signature dessert at the original drug store's soda fountain.  A banana split has a traditional manner in which it must be made.  The banana must be cut lengthwise and placed in a long narrow dish called a boat.  The classic banana split is made with three scoops of ice cream; one each of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry served between the split banana.  

Our treat at Hemingways. 

A sauce of each of the three ice cream flavors, chocolate, strawberry and caramel (vanilla) are drizzled onto the ice cream, then crushed nuts and whipped cream tops the ice cream with a maraschino cherry on the top of each one.  I must admit that the dessert that Jere and I had placed in front of us on the second level of Hemingways might not have been a REAL banana split, but it sure was good.  Perhaps then never heard of Latrobe either and how you make a real banana split.  We are heading back to the island soon and will try it once again.  And...if it is still the same, we will have to eat it anyway.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Age Of The Soda Fountain Jerk" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading that the American soda fountain shop and the profession of being a "soda jerk" came about in 1874 with the invention of the ice cream soda.  Ice cream became an edible morale symbol during WWII when each branch of the military tried to outdo the other in serving ice cream to its troops.  Then in 1945 the first "floating ice cream parlor" was built for sailors in the western Pacific.  Finally the war ended and dairy product rationing ended.  America could once again celebrate its victory by serving ice cream.  A "soda jerk" was someone who worked at a soda fountain and used to swing the soda fountain handle back and forth when adding soda water to a fountain beverage.  They prepared milkshakes and other treats using drink mixers that feature spindles and agitators to fold air in for smooth and fluffy results served in tall glasses.  Soda Jerks were charged not only with preparing delicious treats, but with entertaining them as well.  I can remember a few of the soda jerks who worked the counter at the Lancaster Train Station in the 1950s and 1960s.  They seemed to have a knack of putting on a show as they made ice cream sodas for the customers.  I can still remember sitting at the counter and hoping a customer would come in and order an ice cream soda so I could sit and watch the soda jerk make one of the special treats they offered.  As for me, I was happy to sit on the round stool with my cherry coke and spin around until I was told to drink the coke and get out of the place.  

The soda fountain at the Lancaster Train Station.  It still
remains, but doesn't look like this anymore.

I recently read about the soda jerk lingo that was used as shorthand for calling out orders at many soda fountains.  Lingo such as:  Black (cola), Bottom (ice cream in a drink), Brown (root beer), Bucket of (several ingredients combined), Cha (chocolate), Concrete (a milkshake so thick it can be turned upside down and not drip), Cow juice (milk), Crash (cookie crumbs), Draw one (coffee), Draw one from the south (strong coffee), Dust (malted milk powder), Egg Cream (a chocolate soda with a dash of milk), Fizz (a scoop of sherbet or sorbet), Van (vanilla ice cream), White cow (vanilla milkshake), Winter (whipped cream), Yip (an ice cream soda blended in a drink mixer).  After I got married, Carol and I moved to the Grandview Heights neighborhood in Lancaster County.  We had three children and I enjoyed taking them to the neighborhood Lemin's soda fountain run by the father of one of my students I had in my high school Graphic Arts class.  The owner did a good job of making ice cream sodas for my kids, but not with the flair that I had remembered from years before at the train station.  Some things are always better the first time when you are more impressionable.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Peachy Turns PB Swirl" Story

The Berkey Creamery can be seen to the right.

It was an ordinary day.  The day was close to 90 degrees and the humidity was almost as unbearable as my friend Jerry drove me around the Penn State University's campus looking for the sign that tells about "The Creamery."  I knew there was a sign somewhere on campus telling about their famous ice cream store, but you think we could find it!  After a few tries, we game up and Jerry and I, along with our wives Just Sue and Carol, headed to the Berkey Creamery for a cold treat.  Penn State University, known as "Ice Cream U" has a remarkable history as a world leader in dairy production and food science.  For those who didn't realize this fact, I thought I should give you a very brief history into how and why Penn State University is known as "Ice Cream U."  

• In 1865 The Creamery is established in the College Barns behind the present-day Old Main along with a blacksmith's shop and hayloft.
• Due to Henry Armsby's efforts to upgrade the college's instruction and research in dairying, a one-story building containing a cold-storage room, cream-ripening room and office space is built in 1889 as part of a $7,000 state appropriation.
• In 1982 Penn State College offered a 4 and 8 week short dairy course that included lessons on making ice cream making it the first college in the country to offer such instruction.
• In 1904 The Creamery processing operations greatly increased with research and development of pasteurized milk established and a Dairy Manufacturing major created.
• In the 1920s ice cream research thrived under the direction of Andrew Borland, Chester Dahle and Francis Doan.
• In 1931 Andrew Borland planted a time capsule in his namesake building that was opened the following year.
• The following year production increased so much that milk and cream had to be purchased from over 300 farmers.  The Creamery sold milk, cheese and ice cream.
• In the 1940 and 50s a delivery fleet was used to deliver milk locally.
• 1955 saw Philip Keeney added to the staff and he began to teach an ice cream short course for the next 30 years.
• In 1960-61 The Creamery added a salesroom along Curtin Road for walk-ins who wanted to try its 24 flavors.
• In 1968 the Berkey Milk Company opened.  The Berkeys helped many Penn Staters enter the industry and their plant is used for University testing.
• In 1975 the Food Science Department was created and is now one of the nation's most prestigious programs.
• Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield took a $5 Penn State correspondence course in 1978 on making ice cream and later that year launched Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream.
• In the 1980s The Creamery used about 3 million pounds of milk a year to produce milk, cheese and other dairy products.
• In 1986 Tom Palchak, a graduate of Penn State's Agriculture Program, becomes the Creamery manager.
• In 1987 Peachey Paterno ice cream flavor debuts after the football team won it's second national championship.
• The Creamery is named after Jeanne and Earl Berkey who were both graduates of Penn State. The couple owned the Berkey Milk Company in nearby Somerset until 1968, but continued in the retail ice cream business until 1977.  For many years they helped Penn Staters gain a foothold in the dairy industry. Their plant was used for University milk testing.  
• In 2006 The Creamery moved into the new $46 million Food Science Building.
• In 2015 The Creamery celebrated 150 years of dairy processing and introduced a new flavor, Birthday Bash.
• 2016 saw blog author LDub and wife Carol, along with friends Jerry and Just Sue, visit The Creamery and buy ice cream so fresh that it was made only four days before.  LDub purchased Peanut Butter Swirl after repeatedly saying he would buy Peachy Paterno.   

Peanut Butter Swirl

As you see, The Berkey Creamery has a storied history.  I'm afraid if I lived in State College, I would be at the place on a daily basis for one of my favorite treats.  I must admit, the cup of Peanut Butter Swirl that I had was a huge dish of ice cream.  You certainly get a great taste of this tremendous ice cream when you stop for a treat.  My only disappointment was that I never found the street sign telling the history of The Creamery.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Vanilla Bean Lover" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in front of the ice cream freezer at the grocery store trying to decide what flavor to buy this week.  Was thinking about trying the new boxes of Gelato, but after seeing the price, decided to buy the ice cream that was on sale for $1.88 for the container that used to be a half gallon.  Not sure what size it is right now, but it seems to be shrinking every few months.  

As I stood there, deciding, I thought of the story I read somewhere on the internet that told you that your choice of ice cream was more than likely set during childhood and tends to remain consistent throughout your life.  Well, I have loved vanilla ice cream all my life, so I opened the door and made my choice: Vanilla Bean.  Did you know that vanilla lovers are impulsive?  Even though it is one of the simplest of ice cream flavors, those who like it are said to be, besides impulsive, colorful, idealistic risk-takers and emotionally expressive.  

I asked Carol what her choice of flavors would be and she pulled out a package of Mint Chocolate Chip.  People of this flavor are argumentative, ambitious, confident and frugal.  Supposedly aren't satisfied until they find the tarnish on the silver lining.  Carol told me I was full of #@*$ when I told her that.  How about the rest of you.  Do you like Strawberry which are people who are introverts, Chocolate which are people who are flirtatious, Rocky Road which are people who are aggressive, Coffee which are people who are dramatic, Chocolate Chip which are people who are generous or Butter Pecan which are people who are conscientious.  As for me, I figure I can take my vanilla and put strawberries, chocolate syrup, peanuts, ........... on top of it and still enjoy the flavor of the vanilla.  Oh yeah, can't forget the cool whip and cherry.  Here's hoping all your choices are as exciting as mine.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Making of LDub's Delight" Story

The Turkey Hill Experience Building in Columbia, PA

It was an ordinary day.  Grandson Caden and I are sampling the ice cream which we just made at the Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia, PA.  It was in 1897 that the Ashley & Bailey Silk Mill was founded in the city of Columbia which is located along the Susquehanna River.  

We were greeted by this colorful cow upon entering.

It eventually was sold and the company that bought the business also closed.  The huge building sat vacant for many years until 2011 when Turkey Hill Dairy from Lancaster County, PA opened The Turkey Hill Experience, a 17,000 square foot attraction that describes how Turkey Hill makes and develops their ice tea products and ice cream.  

Caden sits in a Turkey Hill Dairy truck.

Turkey Hill Dairy traces it founding to 1931 when a farmer began selling bottled milk to neighbors and eventually started a milk delivery route.  In 1954 the company began making ice cream and now is sharing with the rest of the world how they mass product their products.  Well, Caden and I made a visit to see for ourselves how they make their products and then try our hands at making our own flavor of ice cream.  The #1 flavor of ice cream in the world is vanilla, but for Turkey Hill, their best seller is Butter Pecan.  I bought my tickets online a few days before so we checked in and headed up the stairs in the old warehouse to view display panels telling of the history of the Susquehanna River Valley.  

These are sticky-notes that visitors can
post telling their home location. You can
see here New York; Frankfurt, Germany;
Boca Raton, Florida; and Long Island. 

Upon entering the main experience, we headed to the "Tea Room" to sample their teas.  Line was extremely long so we headed to the ice cream testing area instead.  We both had a Dixie cup of chocolate peanut butter ice cream and then we stood in line to make our own package and TV commercial for the ice cream we would create.  Once again the lines were extremely long, due to the four school buses sitting in front of the building, so we wandered throughout the displays and found the  "Taste Lab" where we would make our own ice cream.  Shortly the door opened and we were ushered into the lab with about four dozen others.  Took chairs front and center so we could see and hear all that was going to happen.  

The flavoring droppers.

Our "teacher" for the program was Janet who stood in front of us and began the program.  With the use of overhead monitors she listed the three ingredients that we would add to our white ice cream base: Flavoring, Inclusion and Variegate (syrup).  We were given a pint container of the white base and told to place a label on them with the name of our ice cream we planned to make.  

Here Caden is adding his flavoring to his ice cream base.

Caden called his "The Baseball Crusher" while I titled mine "LDub's Delight." The "Flavoring" was in small bottles sitting in front of us with eyedroppers in them.  We were to use 6 drops of flavoring except  if we were making chocolate or cotton candy and then we were to use 15 drops, since more flavoring was needed for those two varieties.  

Janet stands in front of the Inclusions.

Caden chose 6 drops each of chocolate and banana while I added 6 drops of Coconut and 6 drops of Mango.  Next we took our turns walking to the wall to our right where hanging canisters held the "Inclusion".  Items such as nuts, chocolate chips, cookie pieces, mints, marshmallows, etc. were added to our mixture by turning the handle on the canister. I found it came out fast and before I knew it I had a half inch layer of chocolate chips in my container.  Headed to the trash can and dumped most of them, since I didn't want it to overpower my mixture, but still wanted the chocolate flavor so my wife would enjoy it.  I went back and added some toffee chips and a few miniature peanut butter cups.  

My mixture called LDub's Delight.

Caden selected 3 or 4 inclusions and we took our seats until everyone had finished.  Everyone was having a great time and enjoying tasting their mixture after they added everything.  We finished our ice cream with the "Variegate" on the top.  Janet told us to place the syrup on the top and instead of stirring the mixture we were to blend it into the base by pushing our mixing spatula to the bottom and drawing it across the container.  

Caden and LDub with our Turkey Hill Dairy hats in place.
In front of us are the large bottles of Variegate.

This is how the swirls of syrup are added in the "real" ice cream making.  I chose pineapple syrup while Caden added the chocolate.  By now the container was turning to a liquid so all of our ice cream was placed in a freezer in front of us.  Janet gave a 10 minute talk while the ice cream temperature was lowered to -12 degrees.  

Our class.

Janet told us that quality control ice cream tasters test each batch of ice cream and if it doesn't taste as it was supposed to taste, it is fed to pigs in nearby farms.  Naturally I had to ask if they needed anymore taste testers … working for free!  After the ice cream is made it is placed in a freezer for 6-10 hours at -20 degrees.  Turkey Hill can make 975 containers of ice cream every five minutes and distributes it to many US States as well as quite a few other countries such as Puerto Rico and the Middle East.  

On my way home from my adventure with my grandson I
saw a large billboard advertising the Turkey Hill Experience.

Turkey Hill has developed over 100 flavors since they began making ice cream in 1954.  Time for our ice cream to be returned.  Most grabbed a spoon and began to eat their concoction, but I asked for lids for out containers since I had just eaten a cup about half an hour before.  Caden tried his and we both left the Turkey Hill Experience with our flavors in hand.  I drove Caden the few miles to his house and he scurried quickly in the front door so his mom could try what he had made.  As for me, mine still sits in the freezer!  I'd rather eat the vanilla that I bought to share with friends for dessert.  I will enjoy mine in the near future.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.