Originally, what was called a soda fountain was a device that dispensed carbonated soft drinks and sparkling water, but as time passed, it was used as a general term for an ice cream parlor and lunch counter, which we know as soda fountains. . These began to appear in drugstores and dime stores in the mid-1800s.
Benjamin Silliman, a Yale chemistry professor, introduced carbonated soda water to the United States as early as 1806 in New Haven, CT, the home of Yale. It quickly became popular and, together with three partners, began expanding to New York City and Baltimore. In the mid-1800s, they knew they had a winner, especially with the addition of light meals, where anyone could have a quick sandwich alongside a frozen treat. The drugstore idea was quite ingenious, as cola syrups were infused with sparkling water and originally sold as digestives. Soda fountains could be adorned with marble counters and Tiffany or plain lamps, usually with a mirrored back wall and the familiar gooseneck sparkling water dispenser that waiters affectionately known as “soda jerks.” , who worked those black-handled taps and filled into glasses, creating wonderfully bubbly drinks that tickled the nose and delighted the palate. By creating a popular meeting place for all ages, small towns and large cities welcomed them and customers often lined up to sit during peak hours, happily contemplating their orders. On warm summer nights, a cool soda lemonade refreshes thirsty customers or, better yet, a banana split can be shared with a best friend or sister.
Most of the soda fountains stocked chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream (some even included New York cherries, buttered pecans, and tutti-frutti) along with chocolate, strawberry, and marshmallow syrups. To top it off, crushed walnuts and maraschino cherries added to the visual delight of those glorious concoctions. Hot chocolate ice creams were created to serve on Sundays when religions prohibited the sale of sparkling water, so popular chocolate ice cream sodas are prohibited from being served. (Apparently ice cream and syrup weren’t considered sinful, but sparkling water was, go figure.)
Sadly, in the 1950s, drug stores moved in the self-service direction, eliminating lunch counters and ice cream altogether, and fast food began to replace the lunch counter with burgers and shakes that bore little resemblance to their predecessors. Out with the old, in with the new as more and more space was needed for the hundreds of shelves displaying boxed and bottled goods, replacing less-revenue-generating soda jerks and egg salad sandwiches.
Today, there are still ice cream parlors and old fountains scattered across the country, continuing the nostalgia for the originals, and in small towns, root beer stalls still happily serve floats and soft serve ice cream, but it’s not the same. Sure, you can go to Dairy Queen or Baskin-Robbins and have ice cream or even a banana split, but something is missing. Are those hats or is it just a piece of history?