In the video above, Herman Rademacher tells stories about the Chester Diner, the ice depot and the Esso gas station. Herman notes that the postcard shows the later diner, and that the original diner was a used, prefabricated diner that had been trucked to Chester. Prior to the Diner, the property was an Esso station and ice depot. The ice was obtained from an ice factory on the property where the County College of Morris is today. Herman remembered that the Esso was the first place he saw Hershey’s ice cream. The workers in Chester also would meet at the Esso and listen to horse races on the radio there.

The image shown above includes three color photographs of the Chester Diner. There are two interior photos and one of the front exterior. The interior photos show brightly lit rooms with three types of seating: booths, counter, and tables. There are no patrons shown in the interior photographs. The exterior shows mid-to-late 19th century vehicles parked in front of the diner. It is sunny day, and the Chester Diner signs can be seen above a windowed area along the front of the building.

Video transcription available here: Chester Diner Video Transcription.

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Exhibit Publication Date: Published in 2015. ©Copyright Chester Public Library