"Tavern" sandwiches, revisited (Iowa? Baltimore?)

Sun Oct 21 21:29:30 UTC 2007

DARE and OED are possibly interested in "tavern" sandwiches.
NewspaperArchive has been adding much material from Iowa, so it's
worth another look. My previous post is attached below.
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Te problem is that thousands of establishments in America were called
"taverns" in the 1940s and 1950s. Are we talking about Iowa's Ye Olde
Tavern, Baltimore's Little Taverns, or the White Tavern restaurant
chain?
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Of interest also are the terms "ratburger" and an "deathball" (not in
HDAS) associated with the Little Tavern chain...Anyone interested in
"White Tassel" hamburger cites?
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Tavern
Little Tavern Shops is a chain of hamburger restaurants in Baltimore,
Maryland, and Washington, D.C. As of January 2007, three restaurants
remain in the chain (including one in Laurel, that is currently closed
for renovations), though it was much more numerous once: in 1939,
there were 21 in Washington, D.C., and 50 in the Baltimore-Washington
area. The slogan of the chain was "Buy 'em by the bag," and its signs
promised "Cold drinks * Good Coffee." The stores were quite small and
could accommodate only a few seated customers, while most business was
take-out.

The chain was founded in 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky, by Harry F.
Duncan, who soon relocated to Washington, D.C., in 1928, where he
opened a Little Tavern Shop in 814 E Street NW.

The standard "Tudor cottage" restaurant design used by the chain was
designed by engineer Charles E. Brooks and architect George E. Stone
of Baltimore's Stonebrook Corporation.

17 November 1940, Charleston (WV) Gazette, pg. 8, col. 6 ad:
Five Hamburger for 10c at The White Tavern

7 June 1951, Milford (Iowa) Mail, pg. 6, col. 1 ad:
LAKELAND DRIVE IN
(..)
NEW AT THE
KNOB HILL SNACK BAR
Featuring
Tavern Sandwiches
We Sell 'em Exclusively

21 January 1954, Petersburg (VA) Progress-Index, pg. 14, cols. 5-6:
Serve the hamburger patties with a flavorful butter mixture, or don't
shape the patties and serve the browned hamburger meat in a thick
barbecue sauce to be ladled over the toasted buns. These are known as
"Tavern Burgers" in some areas of the country and are a special
favorite of the teen-age crowd.

2 July 1984, Syracuse (NY) Herald-Journal, "The Butcher" by
Merle Ellis," pg. D2, col. 1:
Tavern burgers a timeless summer treat for children
(...)
Taverns originated (al east in my world) at Ye Olde Tavern, a little
restaurant on 14th and Jackson in Sioux City, Iowa, where they were
the house special and were devoured by hordes of hungry high school
kids from Central. I went to "East High" on the other side of town, so
we learned to make our own.
...
They're so easy to make the kids can do it themselves in less time
than it takes to make a trip to McDonald's. And, I guarantee every kid
from 5 to 50 will love 'em!
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TAVERNS
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup water
3/4 cup catsup
3 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder to taste
1 onion minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring the water to a boil in a good-sized pan. Crumble the ground beef
and add it to the water, along with the rest of the ingredients. Bring
the mixture back to a boil for a minute or two, stirring to mix well
and break up any lumps of meat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20
minutes.

26 March 1986, The Capital (Annapolis, MD), "A hamburger's
place in history" by Eric Smith, pg. 35, col. 1:
In Baltimore they are known affectionately as "deathballs." In
Washington they're called "ratburgers" -- also affectionately.

And in the days when Annapolis boasted a pair of Little Taverns on
Main Street and West Street, many people here passionately believed
that they served the tastiest hamburgers in the entire world.
(...)
"Oh, yes. And it's been that way ever since Mr. Harry Duncan started
Little Taverns back in 1927. Even the square buns are made especially
for us by Wonder Bread from our own dough recipe."

6 August 2001, The Capital (Annapolis, MD), "Little burgers
bring a blast from the past" by Eric Smith, pg. B1, col. 2:
Not just any hamburgers, but the kind we used to call "ratburgers" and
"deathballs" when I was a kid.

They are small, cheap, laced with chopped onions and posses an
addictive quality that causes people my age to search for them like
the Holy Grail.
(...) (Col. 3)
Little Taverns were the premier purveyors of tiny, tasty hamburgers in
the Washington-Baltimore area, and sure enough, readers wrote in to
Mrs. Jaques to tell her that Little Taverns had not completely
disappeared, that some had been spotted as far away as East Baltimore
and Laurel.

(Trademark)
Word Mark  LITTLE TAVERN SHOPS
Goods and Services IC 029. US 046. G & S: SANDWICHES. FIRST USE:
19281101. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19281101
Mark Drawing Code (5) WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS IN STYLIZED FORM
Serial Number 71586924
Filing Date October 27, 1949
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Registration Number 0549509
Registration Date October 16, 1951
Owner (REGISTRANT) LITTLE TAVERN SHOPS, INC. CORPORATION DELAWARE 5100
GEORGIA AVENUE, N.W. WASHINGTON D.C.
(LAST LISTED OWNER) AL & PAUL FOOD VENTURE, LLC LTD LIAB CO BY
ASSIGNMENT MARYLAND PO BOX 908 ABINGDON MARYLAND 21009
Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Prior Registrations 0256754
Disclaimer THE WORD "SHOPS" IS DISCLAIMED APART FROM THE MARK SHOWN IN
THE DRAWING.
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Affidavit Text SECT 15. SECTION 8(10-YR) 20020126.
Renewal 3RD RENEWAL 20020126
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
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(ADS-L POST, 14 August 2003)
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/taylor/topics/localwords.htm
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From:    [log in to unmask] (Mary Johnson):
Hi, what a great idea for a project. I just have a couple different
words to add to your list. I teach in an elementary school in Sioux
Falls, South Dakota. I grew up on a farm in South Dakota. Here is our
version of some of your examples. We eat subs and drink pop, a
milkshake has ice cream in it and we put our groceries in a paper bag or
sack. Here are a couple new ones for you. The area where I grew up
called a loose-meat sandwich with tomato sauce, ketchup, etc. on a bun,
a "tavern". This sandwich is also known as a "Sloppy Joe", a "BBQ" in
Sioux Falls, and a "Made Right" in parts of Iowa. Growing up on a farm,
the meals of the day were called Breakfast, Dinner(noon),
Supper(evening), and Lunch was an afternoon snack. Whereas most people
call the noon meal Lunch.

   27 July 1951, LEMARS SEMI WEEKLY SENTINEL (Le Mars, Iowa), pg. 1, col. 3:
   When asked about student preferences, Miss Watson replied "I think they
prefer loose meat sandwiches, such as taverns."

   20 August 1953, LEMARS GLOBE-POST (Le Mars, Iowa), pg. 8?, col. 3:
   (HAM SANDWICHES---TAVERNS---
   ICE CREAM--CAKE--COFFEE)

   19 August 1954, LEMARS GLOBE-POST (Le Mars, Iowa), pg.1, col 7:
   Serving ham sandwiches, taverns, hot dogs, ice cream, cake and coffee.

   2 September 1954, HAWARDEN INDEPENDENT (Hawarden, Iowa), pg. 2?, col. 1:
   Baked Ham Sandwiches, Taverns, Hot Dogs, Home Made Pies and Coffee will be
served.

   15 July 1957, HARLAN NEWS ADVERTISER (Harlan, Iowa), pg.1, col. 4:
   The menu calls for loose meat sandwiches, hot dogs, potato chips, soft
drinks, ice cream and milk, Wigness said.

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