served at a
soda fountain at the 1st U.S. General Hospital in Paris during World War II Cold beverages and ice cream were a novelty in the mid-1800s when
soda fountains began selling ice cream concoctions. A popular recipe published in 1907 called for a lengthwise split banana, two scoops of ice cream at each end and a spoon of
whipped cream in between with
maraschino cherries on top, with one end covered with chopped mixed nuts and another with chopped mixed fruits.
The Spatula Soda Water Guide published in 1919 contained recipes for 25 banana split varieties. Strickler was inspired by the fruit laden
sundaes he saw while vacationing in Atlantic City in the summer of 1904, and aspired to create something similar when he returned to Latrobe using the banana fruit, which, in those days, was shipped to Pennsylvania by way of
New Orleans. Strickler went on to buy the pharmacy, naming it Strickler's Pharmacy, while keeping his office on a top floor.
Wilmington, Ohio, also claims an early connection dating to 1907 when Ernest "Doc" Hazard created a dessert in hopes of attracting students from
Wilmington College to his shop during the slow days of winter. The dessert he came up with was the banana split: three scoops of ice cream served between the two halves of a split banana, topped with chocolate, strawberry and pineapple sauces, whipped cream, maraschino cherries and nuts. In 2013, the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission approved a
state historical marker for the banana split, which was installed at the site of the former Stricker's Pharmacy in Latrobe. Latrobe and Wilmington are not the only towns to claim the distinction of inventing the banana split. In
Boston it is said the dessert was created at the
Butler Department Store by the head
soda jerk who, in 1905, served a banana split with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, topped with peaches,
walnuts and
pistachios.
Davenport, Iowa, claims it was invented by a local Davenport confectioner in 1906, and similar claims have been made by
Columbus, Ohio, where the banana split is said to have been created by Letty Lally when a customer at Foeller's Drug Store asked for "something different."
Walgreens is credited with spreading the popularity of the banana split. The early drug stores operated by
Charles Rudolph Walgreen in the Chicago area adopted the banana split as a signature dessert. Fountains in the stores proved to be a draw, attracting customers who might otherwise have been just as satisfied having their prescriptions filled at some other drug store in the neighborhood. ==Banana split pie==