PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL MARKER

WORLDS FIRST BANANA SPLIT

In 1904 an apprentice pharmacist by the name of David Strickler created the first Banana Split in Westmoreland County, Latrobe.  Originally it was only served on Sundays, until one day a young girl walked into the pharmacy and said that they could just pretend it was Sunday, after which it was served every day.  The ice cream dish cost 10 cents at the time, which was about double as much as any other dish.  The new creation attracted students from the local St. Vincent College and became an instant hit.  Latrobe was declared the birthplace of the Banana split in 2004 by the NICRA (National Ice Cream Retailers Association).  Very shortly after its creation, it spread around the country and ended up in Boston where one ice cream salesman made it with a single flaw; he served the sundae with unpeeled Bananas.  Once he eventually found out people preferred their bananas peeled, he complied and helped make the Banana Split what it is today.