Yes, it seems that Martha and George Washington enjoyed Parmesan ice cream as one of the popular flavors of their day. This information was part of a presentation on the history of ice cream in America given by Polly Bartow, Honorary State Regent from Biddeford on Tuesday, Aug. 14 during the monthly meeting of the Pemaquid Chapter, DAR at the Lincoln Home in Newcastle.

It was “dessert first” for those present at the mid-day meeting when Sara Fahnley, owner of “And Candy Too!” brought home-made vanilla ice cream as a surprise treat and Barbara Belknap provided a refreshing blueberry sorbet.

According to Mrs. Bartow, ice cream has been made in some form for thousands of years. There is evidence that the Romans enjoyed a slurpee-like treat made by adding flavorings to chipped ice or snow. Real ice cream was probably invented in China about AD 650.

Ice cream in America has evolved from the first ice cream parlor opening in New York City in 1776 to the U.S. Armed Forces being the largest producers of ice cream in 1943.

Ice cream has become an American staple due to the innovation and creativity of many citizens. At the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair when an ice cream vendor ran out of dishes to serve his popular ice cream, he purchased some waffles from the vendor next to him. He rolled up a waffle and used it to serve ice cream. It was an instant success.

Another example of ingenuity came in about 1880 when the ice cream sundae was invented to circumvent blue laws which prohibited selling ice cream sodas on Sundays.

Between 1876 and 1900 annual ice cream production in the US skyrocketed from 59,000 gallons to 5 million gallons.

In the 1910s and 1920s this creativity became evident in the great number of unusually shaped scoops or “dishers” that were invented and patented including an oval shape that was made for banana splits.

During the 1930s folks could not afford the luxury of ice cream. Many companies that supported the industry went out of business and ingenuity in this industry stopped.

By 1937 grocery stores began selling ice cream again and it became popular again as a true symbol of America. During WWII Mussolini banned it in Italy for this very reason.

A source for innovation and American pride, ice cream has been with us even before the founding of our nation and will stay with us for a long time.

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a women’s service organization dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education, patriotism and honoring the patriots of the Revolutionary War. DAR members come from a variety of backgrounds and interests, but all share a common bond of having an ancestor who helped contribute to the securing of the independence of the United States of America. Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible to join. If you would like to become a member and join us in service to our communities in Lincoln County, please contact Audrey Miller, 633-7089.