Throwback Thursday – Philly, 1968

TBT – Introduction to our Summertime Throwback Thursdays – Philadelphia, June 1968

As we head into summertime, many of us start to think about vacations. We dream about what trips we’d like to take in the future, and we reminisce fondly over the adventures we had in our past. As you may already know, our Monday blog posts are focusing on “Martin’s All-American Road Trip” and are spotlighting places, regional foods, and sights you can see all over the U.S. in the present. We thought it would be fun to do some “Throwback Thursday” posts recalling a time from the Martin family’s past–perhaps when they took a trip or went on vacation, for example. Then we’ll connect the date of this “Throwback” post to what was happening at Martin’s bakery at that time.

The first stop on “Martin’s All-American Road Trip” is Philadelphia, PA. Thus, our first “Throwback” post is from 1968. That year Jim Martin, current president of Martin’s, and his new bride Donna, moved to Philadelphia, where Jim went to work doing alternate service at the Presbyterian University of Pennsylvania Medical Center.

In the first picture above you can see Jim in front of his 1968 Mustang, the car that Jim and his wife, Donna, drove around while they lived in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, they didn’t get to drive it long because one day, as they looked out their apartment window, they saw it drive away—somebody was stealing it!

Meanwhile, back in Chambersburg, at Martin’s bakery in 1968…

Production operations were being carried out in the back of Martin’s Family Restaurant on Lincoln Way East. At that time, building a large commercial baking facility (like the current headquarters bakery in Chambersburg) was just a dream.

Jim shared the following story about a humorous and messy mishap in the bakery around that time:

“One time, at the Lincoln Way Bakery, the mixer operator accidentally ran the water into the mixer twice. [Thus, there was WAY too much water in the mixer with the dough!] After noticing that the mixing sounds were not normal, he decided to open the mixer a bit to check on its progress, unaware of the issue. As soon as the mixer opened, the overfilled and runny mixture came out on him and surprised him so much that he forgot how to stop the tilt. Over 1,200 pounds of slurry-like dough came pouring out all over the floor! So viscous was it that it pulled off his shoes when he began running for help. He, quite literally, ran right out of his shoes! My oh my, what a mess that was! However, the mixer operator, with the help of many people, including my father, disposed of the mess and cleaned up the shop. …And I’m pretty sure he never accidentally doubled the water in the mixer ever again.”