Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 62, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 March 1914 — WHERE ICE CREAM ORIGINATED [ARTICLE]

WHERE ICE CREAM ORIGINATED

Philadelphia Saw Ita Birth liitth Over a Century Ago. Ice cream making has become an industry, and, aa from tbe beginning of the manufacture in this country more than a century ago, Philadelphia is its home. Theft is to be found the largest ice cream manufactory in the world, having a capacity of 32,000 quarts of frozen cream a day. But thla is only one planL There are probably a dozen more with a combined capacity about equal to that of tbe first mentioned. All told, about 50,000 quarts of ice cream are made in that city every day In the summer months, and a few thousands less a day during the rest of the year. When it was first Introduced into Philadelphia ice cream making was conducted upon a scale so modest that even poetic license would not permit it to be tormed an industry. On the front page of the Aurora, a daily newspaper, for July 22, 1200, appeared what is regarded the first ice cream advertisement ever inserted in an American newspaper. From this advertisement it is learned that “Bossee's Ice Cream House” was in Germantown, nearly opposite the Spread Eagle Tavern. Those wluLare familiar with the free-and-easy way in which the term “nearly opposite” formerly was used in locating a building will understand that it would now be almost Impossible to correctly locate this place. It is only by inference based upon such facts as old directories of the city offer than anything can be learned of the Frenchman who brought to Philadelphia an Industry whioh wss to make it famous and leave Its Inventor unknown. In Scharf A Weecott’s history he is named Bosio, and is described as a Spaniard. As the name Peter Bossu, whioh waa pronounced Bosse, first appears In tne directory as the keeper of a boardinghouse at 75 North Water street. It Is fair to infer that ha wss s Frenchman who had fled from *Franoe. In 1795 It is seen that U. Bosses had removed to 12 South Fifth street on the east side, nine houses below Walnut. At that address his occupation is given as French wine merchant. In 1301 he is described as Peter Bossee, “eating house.” It was during this periodthat his icecream house wss opened, and it is pardonable to suppose that ice cream oould have been obtained at his eating house. In 1802 it is seen that he moved further down Fifth street, te No. 83, where he kept a coffee house. After this date his name dess net appear. The invention of lee cream Is ascribed to a French chef of the Duke of Chartres in 1774. I cm warn not easy to obtain in Philadelphia during the summer months a century ago. Robert Wharton, four times Mayor of the city, who lived in a big house on Third street below Spruce, appears to have had the monopoly, and, as an old Philadelphian wrote many years ago, "dispensed lea rather grudgingly to customers, a few being private families, the mineral water druggists and the very few who made ice cream.” The witter was relating an incident es the year 1812:""