Author: Ginger Karrick Kincaid

Ice Delivery in Owingsville

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Work2 Comments

 

Antique Ice Tongs

From the journals:

       “How many refrigerators do you suppose there were in Bath County in 1920?  1930? 1940?  If there were so few, then what did folks do without refrigeration for preserving food and cooling drinks?
       At regular times every day during the warmer months, the local ice man or men made their rounds.   Mr. John Coyle and Mr. Francis Hunt (of Mt. Sterling) were two men who delivered ice.
        Ice that was sold in Bath County prior to the coming of refrigeration came from a plant in Mt. Sterling.  The ice was frozen in three hundred pound cakes.  The ice was readily cut by chipping with an ice pick.  Usually the chunks were cut in to three one-hundred pound cakes.  Most patrons did not buy ice by the hundred pounds, so the hundred pound cakes were cut to fifty pounds and even as small as ten pounds for some customers.
      Every ice man had at least two pair of hook type carriers for lifting and carrying ice.  Their trucks were what in those days were referred to as one and a one-half ton vehicles.
      The ice man usually supplied his regular patrons with a card which was about one foot square.  This card would have four different numbers that indicated pounds.  The pounds listed were 100, 50, 25, and 10.  The patron would place his card on a nail on his front porch with the side of the card up indicating the number of pounds he desired that day.”
        I visited with Tommy Hodge today, and he told me that a Mr. John Thompson also delivered ice in Bath County.  – Ginger

Johnny White’s Hamburgers

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Black HistoryLeave a comment
I’m a hamburger traditionalist:  I like them fixed the old fashioned way, with no “modern” toppings like mushrooms, Swiss cheese, or jalapeno peppers,  which is why I think I probably would have loved Johnny White’s. ~ Ginger
 
From the journals:
     Should you ask an old-timer in Bath County, especially in Owingsville, about the best hamburger he ever tasted, the answer would almost invariably be “Johnny White’s hamburgers.”  It has been told that he dipped them in meal and fried them in suet.  At any rate, they were scrumptious and delectable and almost any other adjective meaning great that you can think of.
     Another man who was also noted for his hamburgers in Owingsville was Bob Foley.  Bob had his stand usually either on Henry or Oberlin Street.  Johnny White’s stand was usually on Oberlin Street.
     The stands of these hamburger specialists were small and could be moved without much trouble.  The fronts were structured so that the front side would lift up and be propped up, revealing a counter ledge. Inside would be a coal oil stove which furnished the necessary heat for cooking and enough room for two people to work.
     These hamburger men did not use buns but light bread.  It was not uncommon for one person to buy five to ten at a time.   The price for these delicacies was for many years all of ten cents, but they went up to fifteen cents after World War II.     Another business that was good for the businessman and great for the public has faded from the local scene.