Lunch Wagon by the Railroad Depot, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, circa 1916
THF124830 / Lunch Wagon by the Railroad Depot, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, circa 1916
01
Artifact Overview
Wheeled, horse-drawn lunch wagons served simple, affordable food to customers on the go. Intended to be brought out onto city streets at night after regular restaurants closed, some -- like this lunch wagon in Fitchburg, Massachusetts -- became permanent fixtures, open day and night. These were the forerunners of diners.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Postcard
Date Made
20 April 1916
Creators
Place of Creation
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
87.9.23.376
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Ink
Technique
Printing (Process)
Handwriting
Color
Multicolored
Dimensions
Height: 3.375 in
Width: 5.375 in
Inscriptions
on front:
Depot, Fitchburg, Mass.
printed on back:
Depot. This passenger station is on the train line of the Fitchburg division of the Boston & Maine Railroad and is the terminal of a branch of the New York, New Haven & Hartford. It is near Lower Common, at the junction of Main and Water Streets, and was erected in 1877.
handwritten message on back:
got home allright found all well Rose was sick for two weeks went up to her sisters is better now was good to see me my sister Annie was up sunday she said all was well from Minnie
Keywords |
|---|
02
Related Content
SetRailroad Stations
- 13 Artifacts
Washington's Union Station was opened by the Baltimore & Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroads in 1907. The monumental building -- well suited to a city of monuments -- was part of a larger project to beautify the nation's capital in the early 1900s. Removal of the Pennsylvania Railroad's previous station, located directly on the National Mall, was a major component of the plan.
SetLunch Wagons: The Business of Mobile Food
- 5 Artifacts
Horse-drawn lunch wagons, brought out onto city streets at night, served simple, affordable food after regular restaurants closed for the night. This night lunch wagon, established by the Church Temperance Society in New York City, attempted to discourage patrons from frequenting nighttime saloons by offering food and drink in a convenient location and attractive setting.