22 March 1904: Free Cake for the Ladies

On this day in 1904, the Athens Banner ran this announcement from local ice cream vendor, W. D. Bowden:

The cake was part of a promotion by Gold Leaf Flour. Over the course of the week, in a newly vacated office on the corner of College Avenue and Broad Street, the Cape County Milling Company of Jackson, Missouri, would be holding blind comparisons of flour brands and flour demonstrations to show bread made of their product was "whiter than any flour manufactured. Comparisons and investigation solicited." 

The company also offered to add to their exhibit any locally produced bread made with their flour, and distributed free slices of "Aunt Laura Billups cake" and coffee to those who attended, noting that  "Ladies are requested to bring their friends."

The Cape County Milling Company went out of business in 1953, but the mill is now a Missouri state park.

W. D. Bowden is listed in the 1904 Athens City Directory as an ice cream manufacturer, though he was also active in real estate. Bowden did not have his own store, so likely sold his products to the many cafes, department store lunch counters, diners, and local grocery stores in Athens and surrounding areas. He lived in Athens until his death in 1920, and is buried at Oconee Hill Cemetery.

Learn More:

• Athens Banner, Feb. 1904 - Nov. 1905 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• 1904 Athens City Directory in the Heritage collection.
• Oconee Hill Cemetery, Athens, Georgia, Volume I by Charlotte Thomas Marshall in the Heritage and general collections.
• The Great American Ice Cream Book by Paul Dickson in the general collection.
• The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz in the general collection.
• Ice Cream by Mary Goodbody in the general collection.
• Ice-Cream Larry by Daniel Manus Pinkwater in the children's fiction collection.
• New Southern Baking: Classic Flavors for Today's Cooks by Damon Lee Fowler in the general collection.
• BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes by Shirley O. Corriher in the general collection.
• Chocolate Cake by Michele Urvater in the general collecion.
• The Complete Book of Pastry, Sweet and Savory by Bernard Clayton in the general collection.
• Everybody Bakes Bread by Norah Dooley in the children's collection.
• The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum in the general collection. 
• Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins and More by Carole Walter in the general collection.
• Tea Breads and Coffee Cakes by Elizabeth Alston in the general collection.
• The Cook's Encyclopedia of Cookies by Hilaire Walden in the general collection. 
• C is for Cookie Monster by Emilio Delgado in the DVD collection.