History Corner
September 2021
Get the Scoop on the Coolest Spots for Ice Cream this Fall! by Carrie Paul As the Labor Day celebrations signal the end of pool season and the Missouri Bicentennial fair and Autumn celebrations begin, I can’t help reflecting on the history of what summer must have been like two hundred years ago in Saint Louis. A few thoughts come to mind -hot, humid, and carefree. I can’t think of a better way to beat the heat and celebrate the Labor Day holiday then by spending it with family and friends enjoying barbecue and my favorite summertime indulgence: ice cream! Ice cream was popularized, and some say the walk away cone may have been invented at The Louisiana Purchase Exposition held at Forest Park in Saint Louis, known more popularly as the Saint Louis World’s Fair in Forest Park in 1904. Historians agree that the origin of ice cream itself goes as far back as ancient times and has always been enjoyed around the world over. Of course you don’t need it to be hot, or even a summer day, to have an excuse for eating and enjoying it. My first real ice cream cone I truly ever looked forward to was one from Ted Drewes. As a child growing up in South Saint Louis and living in the Lindenwood Park neighborhood, I had the luxury of going to this iconic custard shop more often than the average Saint Louisan. I even won a coloring contest at a young age and made the Saint Louis Post Dispatch paper when I was a child back in 1979. My prize? More ice cream to take home! And so it began… my love affair with this cool and refreshing summertime (or anytime) dessert of countless flavors which never seems to disappoint.
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Gesso Magazine
Ted Drewes located at 6726 Chippewa in South Saint Louis at one time was one of the sweetest stops on what was then called Old Route 66. Ted Drewes, Sr. had opened several stores (one in Natural Bridge, one off Grand and the one off Route 66). In 1958, just the South Grand and Chippewa stores remained, and Ted Drewes, Jr. later expanded the location on Chippewa, which was the busier of the two locations. On any given day, locals and tourists alike will wait in lines wrapped around the building for this famous refreshment which always seems to hit the spot. Whether you savor a famous “concrete” (a shake so thick it can be turned upside down) a float, a sundae, or a cone, the toppings are seemingly endless. Lines actually move at a swift pace so check out the frozen custard stand which has been creating memorable summer nights ever since its inception. In Ted’s words, “It really is good guys … and gals!”
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