Before the Riverbelle Terrace, the restaurant on the corner of New Orleans Street that bordered Adventureland was Aunt Jemima's Pancake House. Sponsored by the makers of the famous pancake mix, this restaurant was a popular staple for park guests who enjoyed eating breakfast. Aylene Lewis portrayed Aunt Jemima at the restaurant, pouring coffee and posing for photos. Here she is in a January 1964 photo.
Pictures of her are rare and snatched up quickly, which is why I was so excited to acquire these two Winter 1956 shots of her.
You can see the seating area that she was posing in by looking at this vintage shot:
See more vintage Aunt Jemima Restaurant photos on my Aunt Jemima web page.
Fantastic images! I love it when you post pictures of things that are no longer at the park.
ReplyDelete-Janey
Dave, do you know off the top of your head when the role of Aunt Jemima was discontinued?
ReplyDeleteThis spot has always been my favorite place for breakfast both when it was Aunt Jemima's Kitchen and later River Belle Terrace.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I don't remember seeing AJ back in the 60s when eating there.
Very neat, I think I only have one photo of Auntie J. Even good pictures of the restaurant are rare!
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is WOW!!!
ReplyDeleteI believe they stopped having the character in the park around 1962. There's not a whole lot of info about it or Aylene out there.
ReplyDeleteThat explains why I didn't see her since my first trip was in 1963.
ReplyDelete