Castle Blog

“In 1865 George Cobb, chef at the Bancroft Hotel, originated the now nationally famous Bancroft corned beef hash. This delicious dish is listed on the menus of leading hotels in this country and in Europe. Whenever you order Bancroft corned beef hash you can be sure of a treat. Especially here at the Hotel Bancroft where the chef uses the same recipe developd in 1865.” -From a mid-twentieth-century table display card used in the Bancroft Hotel’s restaurants. The Bancroft Tod

“One of Michigan’s Finest Hostelries – The new Hotel Bancroft, recently completed, supplants and succeeds the old Bancroft House, which was founded in 1859, and which earned an enviable reputation for its atmosphere of hospitality, comfortable appointments and excellent table, The ambition of the management to continue-the old-time cordiality and to perpetuate the standard of cuisine is reflected in the sincere efforts of the organization to please all patrons. In modernized

Part I – Random Discoveries “The most famous item on the hotel’s menu is Bancroft Corned Beef Hash of which 6,000 pounds are served each month. The dish was originated in 1872 when Chef George Cobb had a surplus of cold boiled potatoes. He diced four cupfuls of them, added four of diced Corned Beef, a cup of coffee cream, a pinch of nutmeats [Sic.], and salt. Next, he browned the patties on both sides in butter and served.” “Today Bancroft Hotel Hash is severed at the Waldor

“We have always enjoyed Jacobson’s. Whenever I go to a shower, someone almost always comments [on] the box from Jacobson’s is my gift because all showers, graduations, weddings, and of course Christmas gifts are from Jacobson’s. Weichmann’s, Heavenrich’s and Seitners are next. “We have walked from one end of Fashion Square Mall to the other and did not find what we wanted.” –Anonymous letter to The Saginaw News, September 26, 1976. Sometimes anniversaries are right before yo

“Mrs. J.M. Brogan and daughters, Misses Janet and Edith Brogan pleasantly entertained a party of about thirty friends Saturday at the house boat ‘Yosemite,’ near Carr’s Landing. The party went up the river on the steamer Josie. The excellent fishing was enjoyed and one of the features of the day was a fish dinner in the ‘Yosemite’.” –The Saturday Evening News, October 31, 1898. By the 1890s, the great logging boom was over. With the end of logging, the Tittabawassee, Shiawa

“Fire destroyed the Parkway Inn popular night club on Veteran’s Memorial Parkway (US-23) early today. The loss was estimated by the owner at more than $75,000.” -The Saginaw News, December 15, 1959. THE SAGINAW NEWS, October 13, 1947. THE BAY CITY TIMES EXTRA, December 19, 1941. At this point, the earliest advertisement we have found for the Parkway Inn appeared in The Saginaw News on December 5, 1941. Proclaiming it “Saginaw’s Newest Night Spot[,] under the management of

“They met at a birthday party at Brownies Dance Hall in James Twp. And married in 1947.” -(The Saginaw News, February 26, 2012) The Castle Cocktail Lounge is getting ready to close its doors on another season of thirst-quenching history and an exciting road trip around the county: The Golden Glow Ballroom in St. Charles The Brass Bell in Chesaning Bridgeport's Big Boy –but it's getting late, and we thought we'd better head for home...well, maybe one last stop…for a drink…and

Last week, The Castle Cocktail Lounge enjoyed an elegant evening at the Brass Bell in Chesaning. After partaking in some Showboat entertainment, we took the back roads back north by the Prairie Saloon and Price Nature Center…finding ourselves in Bridgeport. While we thought about swinging through the Cass River Yacht Club for another drink, our stomachs instead pulled us in the other direction…welcome to Bridgeport… Big Boy*, More than a Chain Closing Day-January 2023. Fo

Last week, The Castle Cocktail Lounge made its way all the way out to St. Charles for a dance at the Golden Glow, so we kept right on driving, heading south along M-52 until we came to a crossroad, a town with a Showboat, and a tasty bar/restaurant too…welcome to Chesaning… A Village with a Showboat... 1972 Showboat program As the Great Depression lingered across the country, the Chesaning Showboat Festival materialized in 1937 as a way to bring crowds and an economic boost