Title
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, October 7, 1971
Subject
History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Ice cream cones
Description
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
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To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
Fred Maxwell
Source
Camille Elebash
Publisher
The Graphic
Date
October 7, 1971
Contributor
Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
Document
Identifier
1964
Coverage
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Text
Yes, there was a time before ice cream cones.
Around 1910 if you wanted ice cream you either made it yourself with a ”stemwinder” freezer or bought it by the saucer at a drug store. There was no ice cream factory in the city but this delicacy was shipped in from Birmingham for hotel, drug store and soda fountain use. Ice cream cones had not yet appeared on the market.
A black man named Dan Spencer worked up a very thriving and profitable business selling ice cream in small brick or cake form wrapped in wax paper.
Dan lived on the southwest corner of 8th St. and 21st Ave. His ice cream “factory” was located at his residence. He was known as the “cak-kee man.”
In the Summer time he would push his cart up one street and down the next with a loud clear call of “cak-kee, ice cream cak-kee” which seemed to be heard by all children and few adults in the neighborhood.
Local varsity baseball games were played on the main quadrangle of the University with portable bleachers serving as the grandstand. This area is now used for a drill field for the military units. Dan would pass back and forth in front of the spectators calling “cak-kee, ice cream cak-kee” and it was not unusual for him to sell out the entire contents of his 5-10 gallon freezer. Gee, but his ice cream was delicious.
According to my memory, Dan passed away before the advent of the ice cream cone. Had he been able to market his ice cream by the use of present day cones I feel sure that he would have built up an ice cream emporium in this city that many would remember.
Around 1910 if you wanted ice cream you either made it yourself with a ”stemwinder” freezer or bought it by the saucer at a drug store. There was no ice cream factory in the city but this delicacy was shipped in from Birmingham for hotel, drug store and soda fountain use. Ice cream cones had not yet appeared on the market.
A black man named Dan Spencer worked up a very thriving and profitable business selling ice cream in small brick or cake form wrapped in wax paper.
Dan lived on the southwest corner of 8th St. and 21st Ave. His ice cream “factory” was located at his residence. He was known as the “cak-kee man.”
In the Summer time he would push his cart up one street and down the next with a loud clear call of “cak-kee, ice cream cak-kee” which seemed to be heard by all children and few adults in the neighborhood.
Local varsity baseball games were played on the main quadrangle of the University with portable bleachers serving as the grandstand. This area is now used for a drill field for the military units. Dan would pass back and forth in front of the spectators calling “cak-kee, ice cream cak-kee” and it was not unusual for him to sell out the entire contents of his 5-10 gallon freezer. Gee, but his ice cream was delicious.
According to my memory, Dan passed away before the advent of the ice cream cone. Had he been able to market his ice cream by the use of present day cones I feel sure that he would have built up an ice cream emporium in this city that many would remember.
Original Format
Newspaper