Our times: Frostop has been offering drive-in service for decades

Among all the restaurants that have operated in Vincennes over the years, Frostop was one of the most popular, one that holds precious memories for locals.

The Frostop was a traditional drive-in, where customers parked and carhops took orders and attached trays of food to their rolled-down windows. The business was a staple of Vincennes for decades.

The Frostop opened on Thursday, March 17, 1955, at Sixth and Depot Streets (1303 North Sixth Street). Advertisements presented it as “the friendliest corner in town”. The original owners were Woody Allen and Jerry Minderman, and the business was known as Woody and Jerry’s Frostop. Ownership will change several times over the coming years.

The Frostop initially served hot dogs, coneys, barbecue, ice cream, floats, orange drinks, and of course, their famous Frostop root beer. Root beer was available to take home in gallon or half-gallon containers.

The Frostop started with ten carhops. The girls wore bright yellow cotton Sailtone clothing, matching pants, blouse and cap, purchased at the local JC Penney, and black and white saddle shoes. The top ten carhops were Helen Cooper, Donna Cunningham, Maggie Hulen, Maxalee Russell, Sherry Ravellette, Beverly Bowman, Sharon Grider, Joy Williams, Janet Mulheron and Linda Webber.

As was the case with most drive-ins at the time, the Frostop was open on a seasonal basis. That first year, they closed their doors on October 10, after what the owners described as a very successful first season.

In August 1956, a Frostop advertisement offered a special deal, with 25-cent shakes selling for 20 cents and a gallon pitcher of root beer, regular for 65 cents, on sale for 50 cents.

In the early 1960s the Frostop was taken over by Kenny McClure and Bob Watson. In 1962, they expanded the menu and began serving hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fish sandwiches and fries. This was in addition to the sandwiches, shakes, malts and drinks sold since opening. The menu would continue to expand.

To illustrate the popularity of the Frostop, during a weekend in June 1962, a record number of hamburgers, cones, fish, filets, hot dogs and other sandwiches were sold, this number being calculated based on the number of rolls used, the total being 2,160.

In 1965, Bill and Clara Catt acquired Frostop. Bill Catt was an employee of the Prestolite battery factory.

Around 1970, Murlin Perry took over the Frostop and he and his wife Pat would operate it for most of the 1970s. A summer 1971 special offered a hamburger, fries and a Pepsi or root beer, for 59 cents.

Around 1979, the Frostop changed hands again when it was purchased by Harold and Janice Vaughn, who operated it through the 1980s, into the 1990s.

In 1982, the Frostop menu included the following items: root beer, coneys, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fish, filet mignon, hot dogs, taco melts, steak pizza, ham and cheese, chicken steak, barbecue, roast beef, onion rings , fries, shrimp, chicken dinners and various frozen treats.

In May 2000, Mark and Mary Jackson purchased the Frostop and operated it briefly.

It then sat vacant for a few years, before Frostop’s long history came to an end, when the old drive-in was transformed into Premier Landscape & Design.

The Frostop drive-in was not unique to Vincennes, but was instead a root beer franchise. There were other Frostops, including one in Lawrenceville, Mount Carmel and Robinson, Illinois. The Lawrenceville Frostop had a miniature golf course.

Brian Spangle can be contacted at [email protected]. His latest book, “Lost Vincennes,” published by The History Press, is available for purchase at the Knox County Public Library and on Amazon.