HILTON DAIRY COTTAGE

The Hilton Dairy Cottage located on South Rolling Road in Catonsville, MD is one of the roadside stands that served the varying needs of locals in every age group. As a very young child I recall our family stopping by this wonderful stone cottage on our way home from Sunday drives in the city. They sold Delvale ice cream which in my father’s estimation was the best ice cream in Baltimore. Rocky Fudge was his favorite flavor and so it became my favorite, too. Later on as eleven-year-old youngsters out on our own, my best friend and I took badminton lessons on Sunday afternoons at the local public high school. We hurried through our lessons so we could visit the cottage to get ice cream cones as our reward. Ice cream seemed to be the major draw for us up to that point.


However, older students from the neighboring Catonsville Senior High used this place as their beloved hangout. Recently some former students bragged to me that they dined on coke, cigarettes and donuts for breakfast until 1969 when it closed. Others reported to me that the truant officer Mr. T would hide in the driver’s education car by lying down in the back seat and force the student and driver's ed teacher to turn into the cottage driveway while school was in session. When the driver's ed car pulled up to the “cottage” door, class cutting teenagers ran outside to give a cheery hello but Mr. T the truant officer popped up from the back seat and took names. It was a clever trick for him but the students had quite a different name for it.

THE EDMONDSON DRIVE-IN MOVIE

Chubby elves obsessively ate popcorn and licked ice-cream cones on the big screen during intermission at the Edmondson Drive-In on Route 40 West, Catonsville, MD. Watching the cartoon characters gorge themselves between films in the open-air prompted patrons to get in line for all kinds of fun snacks at the concession stand. Hot dogs, hamburgers, french-fries and big soft-drinks were purchased cafeteria style and carried back to the cars for consumption. After a night of fabulous food and flicks sometimes drivers would forget to detach the theatre’s speaker from their car window. It was always a big embarrassment when your date yanked the speaker from its post.
Another source of embarrassment for this blogger occurred when I was paged in the middle of the Steve McQueen thriller, "Bullitt." There was no proper way for the theatre manager to find someone other than to interrupt the film on the sound system and announce your name for all the movie watchers to hear. It never occurred to me that some trouble had happened at home. After all, who tells their parents they are going to the drive in on a date? I had a hunch that my girl friend was on the other end of the line. This friend would often track me down in public places. This time she was bored at home and wanted to know how my date was going. The pay off for this embarrassment was that I was instructed by the concession stand clerk to go into the projection booth to accept the call on the wall mounted telephone. The room itself was spare and modest. I think the floor was concrete but I am not sure. It was manned only by one projectionist. The experience was thrilling--seeing the huge flickering projectors and hearing the clicking of the gigantic 70mm reels. So I have to say thank you to my old friend for obsessing over my Saturday night date at the Edmondson Drive-In Movie.

Here's Steve performing his own stunt driving in "Bullitt."
vrroooommm vrrroooommmmm

ELKRIDGE DRIVE-IN - The Passion Pit

'Elkridge Drive-In Movie Theatre - 1984"
digitally altered photograph
©CharleneClarkStudio

A serious “passion pit” is how this drive-in movie theatre on Route 1 in Elkridge, MD is remembered. A group of high-school girls from a neighboring Catholic prep school patronized the theatre on a semi-regular basis. The young women made a pact that if any of them happened to be there with their date on a Saturday night they should always make an appearance at 9 p.m. in the ladies’ room. Once assembled they would catch up on the latest gossip about each other's boyfriends and take inventory of their outfits for the night. Being out of their dreadful gray uniforms for the weekend was such a thrill that their social outing clothing included plenty of colorful Lady Bug mini-skirts, Villager sweaters, Bandolino flats, beehive handbags and whatever the Casual Corner and Hutzler Brothers stores were promoting that season. They really dressed more for each other than their dates, I think.
The men have different memories of the old Elkridge. I will ask now. How many boys did you pack inside the trunk of your father’s car while passing through the admission booth of a drive-in movie? I know the theatre received its share of these non-paying customers until it closed for good in the early 1980s. I have received numerous confessions from grown men who relish in the recounting of how they “got in for free” while sharing a dark, cramped space with other dare-devil boys from surrounding public schools such as Catonsville, Woodlawn and Glen Burnie. The Catholic school boys from schools such as Mount St. Joe, Cardinal Gibbons, Loyola, Calvert Hall and Archbishop Curley participated in this unlawful past time as well. I have never heard from any women who as girls, were asked to behave in such an unladylike manner.
My last check on the visual status of the theatre occurred in 1999. A sorry looking hole on the side of the road was all that remained of the behemoth drive-in. Conflicting stories of the Elkridge’s demise still survive. Some have said it was a bankrupt contractor’s deed while others blame nature’s fury. I tend to believe the couple who told me that a tornado ripped through in the late 1980s and tore a down the giant screen. Presently I have heard it is being developed but have not seen it myself.

"Elkridge Drive-In Admission Booth-1984"
digitally altered photo
©CharleneClarkStudio
"Elkridge Drive-In Concession Stand-1984"
digitally altered photo
©CharleneClarkStudio

ARE YOU A TWIN, TOO?

"Koester's Bread Truck" oil on canvas
(18" x 24")

Will the real Koester’s Twin please stand up? Until this painting was completed in 2007 I had no idea how many people claimed to be the baby on the side of the truck. It is possible that many children auditioned for this job but it appears that only one or two really got the assignment, In my youth I assumed that these babies were girls. However to date no women have stepped forward in my presence to proclaim that they were the model. Only men of a certain age have sincerely declared to me their past claim to fame . What ever the motive or ad campaign was behind the logo I have to say it was a clever one. Not too many Baltimoreans raised in the 1950’s have no memory of these adorable, cherubic bread eaters.

ESSKAY MEAT AND HUMOR

Esskay Meat holds quite a bit of significance for many Baltimore families. Their meat plant covered a sizable portion of the east Baltimore landscape. ESSKAY - The S stands for William Schluderberg who started the company in 1858 and the K stands for T.J. Kurdle who in 1919 merged with the Schluderberg part to make S K...or ESSKAY. In addition to providing quality products, the company made meat an amusing commodity. They sponsored “Sam and Friends,” a children’s show on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C.—that’s channel 4 for those who were lucky enough to get good tv reception in Baltimore. This was Jim Henson’s first TV show. It was five minutes long and loaded with his very early puppet characters. We watched regularly thanks to a good roof top antenna.

Esskay also used the illustration of the portly butcher on the Ocean City Clocks in the 1950’s and 60’s. Who did not meet their friends on the boardwalk under his watchful eye?

"Esskay Clock, Ocean City Boardwalk" oil on board (24" x 12")
©CharleneClarkStudio

Let’s not forget all the baseball hot dogs they have sold to the Oriole fans for many, many years. And I am looking here at their packaging in this layout. The color combinations are outrageous and work very well. I never knew they sold eggs or Hollywood lunch meat. But I did love their bacon and still do. We usually had our Esskay ham on Easter Sunday and the sausage links were served for breakfast regularly at our house. However I always preferred their bacon. There are also forgotten products like Skeat and Esko pictured here. And when is the last time you saw a can of lard in the regular grocery store? I have news for you. Lard makes cookies and pastries and all kinds of meat dishes delicious so don’t turn up your nose just dig in!

from the author's collection

Here's a recipe for German Potato Salad served with Franfurts that I found in their handbook dedicated to homemakers. It looks to me like the authentic version that my German grandmother made . After all Mr. Schluderberg and Mr. Kurdle were from the country that made German potato salad famous here in Baltimore. As we say en français - bon appetit!

EDMONDSON VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER

"Edmondson Village at Christmastime" oil on board

Edmondson Village Shopping Center in west Baltimore, MD was our destination when the ride downtown to Howard and Lexington was not necessary. It was a grand complex built in the architectural style of Williamsburg. In fact my grandfather’s company, Sorensen Construction Corporation, laid most of the bricks for the entire plaza which opened in 1947.

The shopping center at night.

It had a tone of fun and amusement but there was also an air of elegance to the stores and so we had to dress up to shop there. Not quite wearing our crinolines, but no shorts or pants were permitted. We always parked in the rear of Hochschild’s because it was shady in the summertime and rarely congested like the front lots were. The escalator ride to the second floor toy department was a joyful ascent. They had the Tiny Tears doll that I coveted in 1957 and I would often visit her and dream of being her nurse. The Tommy Tucker Five and Dime was another favorite spot for children. They had all kinds of toys and novelties that were affordable for just about everyone. I wonder how many paddle-ball sets they sold in one year? Near Tommy Tucker there was a snazzy French restaurant called Mischanton’s where my school classmates would meet for Saturday lunch when we were old enough to dine without our parents. It had the hustle - bustle atmosphere of a Parisian Brasserie.
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Mischanton's Restaurant in Edmondson Village

Mishanton's kitchen seen from the outside window

At the other end of the stretch, in front of Hess Shoe Store, were the mechanical horses one could ride for five cents. If you yanked back on the reins, the horse would go faster. Of course just about everyone remembers Hess Monkey Town. I have written about it here before and so will include a link to that.click on the painting of "Hess Monkey Town" to read more

And of course the gorgeous movie theatre was where we saw so many first run Disney films among others. There were many merchants displaying their wares and clothing. Some of them included Gammerman’s, Whalen’s, Food Fair, Reamer’s and many more that I need help remembering.

Edmondson Village at Christmas (source unknown)

Christmastime at Edmondson Village was almost indescribably special. Every year on Thanksgiving night they would throw the switch to power lights strung across the rooftops and over the trees that grew near the brick wall by the busy Edmondson Avenue. Santa, as I recall, was driving his reindeer on the roof of Hochschild’s. What a splendid sight for everyone to see. It brought gawkers from everywhere in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The shopping center changed with the times. There was unbridled blockbusting which undermined the area beginning in the 1950’s. W. Edward Orser has written an excellent account of the history of the area his book “Blockbusting in Baltimore: The Edmondson Village Story."

HOT SHOPPES

"Hot Shoppes" oil on canvas, ( 24" x 18") 2005

Ah! the Hot Shoppes at Edmondson Village next to the Hecht Company was a “treat” destination for many west Baltimore families with children. It was strictly a cafeteria in my memory. There was no drive-in window as many of the ads and postcards proclaim. But it was different! Many have expressed to me that they loved the self-serve style of the cafeteria and the cheerful, social clatter of the patrons. A good friend confided to me that the reason she never ate there with her parents was because the Hot Shoppes did not have a liquor license. Her father enjoyed his glass of bourbon before an evening meal too much to make the sacrifice. Another woman told me that the reason the Hot Shoppes did not have a liquor license was because it was owned by members of the Morman church and they did not believe in such pastimes. I do not know about this at all but I have heard from many people that the man who eventually opened the Hot Shoppes started with some A & W Root Beer stands around the Washington, D.C. area. This man’s last name was Marriott. Now we all have been guests of his for a night or two at some point. Some of us may have consumed cocktails or gambled in his hotels perhaps.

People still rave about the “Mighty Mo” hamburger served at the Hot Shoppes restaurants. Recently someone gave me the recipe for the much revered sauce. I cannot say if this is the authentic version but it sure looks good to me. Bon appetit!
•1/2 cup ketchup
•1/4 cup chili sauce
•1-1/2 teaspoons A-1 Sauce
•1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
•2 drops Tabasco Sauce
•1/2 cup chopped sweet pickle
•1-1/4 cups mayonnaise

Combine ketchup, chili sauce, A1,Worcestershire and Tabasco . Add pickle to sauce mixture. Combine the sauce-pickle mixture with mayonnaise until well-blended. Store in a tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Postcard of drive-in restaurant from author's collection.

Back of postcard describing a "beautiful dining room" et cetera.

The kitchen at the Hot Shoppes at Edmondson Village.