GALVESTON — During the holiday season, the Rosenberg Library’s Museum will be sharing a history of the island’s most famous ice cream.
The December “Treasure of the Month” display features six sherbet glasses from Purity Ice Cream Co., which was founded in Galveston.
As few remember, it is Purity Ice Cream, rather than that delicious treat found in Brenham, that is the oldest ice cream manufacturer in Texas.
Purity Ice Cream Co. first opened in 1889, and was on 1202 Postoffice St.
Each of the museum’s six glasses is marked with the “Purity” logo in gold. The set was donated to the library by Margaret and Elisabeth Runge in 1995.
Ice cream has been a delicacy since the fourth century B.C. Kings, emperors and rulers alike have enjoyed variations of nectar, fruit, honey, ice and milk concoctions as the recipes traveled from China throughout Europe.
Once it was imported to the United States, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other Founding Fathers were so delighted by the flavors that they served it to all of their guests.
The first gelateria (ice cream shop) in the U.S. was established in New York in 1770, and this “iced cream” dessert became a favorite dish among colonials.
The ice cream industry as it is known today was wholly developed on American soil, and the past few centuries have brought several improvements to this creamy confection.
These include the addition of salt to the iced cream — which lowered and controlled the temperature of the ingredients — as well as the invention of wooden bucket freezers with rotary paddles.
Augustus Jackson, a former White House chef, was given the title “father of ice cream” because he created several popular ice cream methods and flavors in 1832.
In 1846, Nancy Johnson patented a hand-cranked freezer that established the basic method of making ice cream that still is used today.
The first large-scale commercial ice cream plant was established in 1851. It was the introduction of mechanical refrigeration that made ice cream commercially distributable.
Purity Ice Cream Co., Texas’ oldest ice cream company, was a family operation.
However, there is an ongoing debate concerning who were the original founders of the company.
It was either both owned and operated by the Brynston family from inception, or it was started by Jerry Sullivan and his partner, Ben Willis, before it was sold to the Brynston family.
Regardless of the true founder, Purity ice cream was so popular in Galveston County that few drugstore soda fountains or neighborhood grocery stores carried any other brand name. Every location proudly displayed the Purity neon signs.
The factory at 1202 Postoffice St. churned 18 flavors, each made from cream bought from Lufkin. During its heyday, this relatively small plant manufactured 5,000 gallons of ice cream per month — and still had troubles keeping up with demand.
In the early 1900s, the factory delivered its confections to local shops by horse-drawn wagons. For the holiday season, Purity would sell festive flavors such as eggnog and peppermint.
Even during times of war when ingredients were scarce, Purity still produced popular ice cream flavors like chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.
During World War II, Camp Wallace, the Hitchcock Naval Air Station, was its biggest customer.
After the death of its owner, Gustav Brynston, the Purity Ice Cream Co. closed its doors in 1979 after almost a century of ice cream sales. In 1983, the King family bought the company, its equipment and real estate, as well as the famous Purity formulas.
Today, one can enjoy the historic flavors of Purity ice cream only at La King’s Confectionary on The Strand near 24th Street. La King’s features a 1920s soda fountain, which serves malts, shakes, ice cream sodas, sundaes, splits, floats and fountain drinks made from traditional methods and ingredients.
Their seasonal holiday flavors include apple, cherry and pumpkin pie, or their best seller — mint chocolate chip.
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Treasure Of The Month
The Treasure of the Month is on the mezzanine level of the Rosenberg Library, 2310 Sealy Ave. It can be viewed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For information, call 409-763-8854, Ext. 125.
