Casco Bay breeze. [volume] (South Harpswell, Me.) 1901-1917, 1907-08-15
MINIATURE ALMANAC
ICE CREAM.
Peter sossee Father Of Philadelphia
Great Industry.

STSat INDUSTRY.
Ice cream making has become an
Industry and, as from the beginning OF
the manufacture In this country, more
than century ago, Philadelphia is its
nome. Here is to be found the largest
Ice cream mandatory in the world
having capacity of $4,000 quarts OF
frozen cream a day. But this is only
one plant. There are probably a dozen
more with combined capacity about
equal to that of the first mentioned.
All told, about $4,000 quarts of ice
cream are made in this city every day
IN the summer months and few thou
sands less day during the rest of
the year.
When it was first introduced into
this city, which is to say when 1t was
nrst offered for sale in the United
states. ice cream making was conduct
ed upon scale so modest that even
poetic license would not permit it to
De termed an industry. On the front
page OF the Aurora, daily newspaper,
ior July %. 1900, appeared what is re-
sarded as the first ice cream advertise
ment ever inserted in an American
newspaper.
FROM this advertisement 1t is learn
ed that Bosses Ice Cream House"
was in Germantown, nearly opposite
the Spread Eagle Tavern. Those who
are familiar with the free-and-easv
way In which the term nearly oppos-
tie formerly was used in locating
building will understand that 1t would
now be almost impossible to correctly
locate this place. There is reason to
believe that Bosses ice cream house
was not in Germantown at all. for
mere Is no record Of a Spread Eagle
Tavern In that ancient township.
where historians are numerous and
careful to perpetuate every memorial
OF the past.
According to Hazard, there was a
spread Eagle Tavern, about the year
1913, at the junction Of Sixth stree:
and the Germantown road This house
was then kept by John Slifer. As this
is the only Spread Eagle of which any
record remains. 1t is perhaps permissi-
Die 10 infer that the first ice cream
mouse was In this vicinity, and while
IL was a long joudney from &c. msn-
town, IL was also considered far out OF
the city in those days. III IL was not In
Germantown, at least IL was on the
road.
II is only by inference, based upon
such facts as old directories of the city
oner, that we can learn anything OF
this Frenchman who brought TO Phil
adelphia an industry which YVES 10
make IL famous and leave the innoya-
tor unknown. In Scharf e. westcott's
history, he is named Boslo. and Is de-
scribed as Spaniard. AS the name
Peter Bessu. which was pronounced
Bossee, first appears In the directory
for 1924, where VI. Bossu Is set down
as the keeper Of a boarding house q,
20 North Water street. IL f. fair to In
Ter That he was Frenchman who had
either fed from the Reign OF Terror I'm
France or was a refugee from the
french West Indies, where a revolt
was in progress. IL was In the Water
street neighborhood that the yelIox
fever made its appearance among the
French refugees in the summer of
1893. '"
In 1875 IL Is seen that NJ. Bossee had
removed to 50 South Fifth street. ON
tn east side, nine houses below Wal.
nut At that address his occupation IL
given as French wine merchant The
directory compilers had great dif,cuI-
~ with his name, spelling II Bosm.
Bosse, and finally. and possibly cor
rectly, Bossee. In the directory for
1877 his name Is thus spelled, and from
1765 to 1877 he Is set down as a wine
merchant The next two years his
occupation is not given, but In 1900
and 1901 he IL described as Peter Bos-
SEA eating house" II was during
this period that his ice cream house
was opened. and Il II pardonabIe to
suppose that ice cream could have been