I’m constantly amazed at what I find in the NC Collection stacks. While looking for an item that was shelved incorrectly (yes, that does happen), I found a box of menus from various North Carolina restaurants in 1960. I’m not sure who collected them, though I’d bet it was William S. Powell, curator of the NC Collection from 1958 to 1974. Just as Bridget’s “The Price is What?” post highlighted one aspect of our consumer culture, these menus do the same thing. As an example, I’ll share two images with you. To the right is a menu from The Chuck Wagon Restaurant in Blowing Rock. The interior of the menu also mentions several other popular destinations in the area, such as Grandfather Mountain. Is it still there? I couldn’t find any information about it. Does anyone remember eating there?
I’ll also share with you a postcard that I found tucked into the menu. It is by the late Hugh Morton, owner of Grandfather Mountain and promoter and proponent of everything North Carolina. You can see more Hugh Morton images at the NC Collection Photographic Archives’ blog, A View to Hugh: Processing the Hugh Morton Photographs and Films.