Carl's Ice Cream

Carl's Ice Cream
Restaurant information
Established 1947
Street address 2200 Princess Anne St
City Fredericksburg
State Virginia
Postal code/ZIP 22401
Country USA
Seating capacity

0 (Walk-up Window)

Carl's
Location 2200 Princess Anne St., Fredericksburg, Virginia
Coordinates 38°18′49″N 77°28′7″W / 38.31361°N 77.46861°WCoordinates: 38°18′49″N 77°28′7″W / 38.31361°N 77.46861°W
Area less than one acre
Built 1947
Architect Skinner, Ashton
Architectural style Moderne
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 05000642[1]
VLR # 111-5007
Significant dates
Added to NRHP June 30, 2005
Designated VLR December 6, 2000[2]

Carl's Ice Cream (also known as "Carl's Frozen Custard" or, most often, simply "Carl's") is a roadside ice cream stand located at 2200 Princess Anne Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Since 2005, the stand, with its Art Moderne architectural facade, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3][4]

History

Carl Sponseller founded Carl's Frozen Custard stand in 1947.[5] Since then, the 1940s era Electro Freeze machines have produced the frozen treat. When served, the ice cream is hand scooped, with a signature “twist” added to the top by the disher. Carl's sells only three flavors (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry), but also offers sundaes, shakes, malts, frozen slushes and slush floats. The stand has what can only be called a devoted following, to the point that the line of customers often stretches around the building, even in bad weather.[6][7] Carl's is closed each year from the Sunday before Thanksgiving until the Friday of Presidents Day Weekend. This is because Sponseller would close the shop each year for hunting season, and the current owners (also Sponseller family members) have continued the tradition.

Ice Cream or Frozen Custard?

The soft-serve ice cream is technically not frozen custard, because does not contain the required amount of egg yolks to be advertised as such under VA law.

See also

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  3. "National Register of Historic Places". 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  4. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (.pdf file). 2008-08-11. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  5. "Off the Beaten Path, Vol. 8". Simply Fredericksburg. 1999-07-25. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  6. "Carl's Ice Cream". Fredericksburg Guidebook. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  7. Buncombe, Andrew (2003-09-06). "For 50 Years and More, the Simple Pleasures of an Ice-Cream". The Independent (London). Retrieved 2008-08-11.

External links

Media related to Carl's Ice Cream (Fredericksburg, Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons