Aunt Carrie’s is celebrating it’s 98th year of being family owned and operated.
Located in Narragansett Rhode Island Aunt Carrie’s is just a few short minutes from the local beaches and fishing spots, situated in the heart of Point Judith. For years, Aunt Carrie’s has been a place where locals, tourists, friends and families alike can relax and enjoy a taste of traditional Rhode Island seafood and homemade cooking while taking in the cool ocean breezes and wonderful views.
Carrie Cooper and her husband Ulysses lived in Connecticut and enjoyed riding to Narragansett with their six children, cramped in a Model-T. They came to fish, swim, and camp-out on the beach. Ulysses talked about the fact that there was no place in Point Judith to get any thing cold to drink.
Soon, the family started selling cold lemonade to the local fishermen and the nearby campers. Brought up on a farm, Carrie always made use of everything. The children would bring clams to her and she would make chowder. Her original corn fritter recipe soon became her clam cake recipe. Of course, the smell would travel to all the other campers and fishermen around. Every time she made some, someone would stop and ask her what she was making. And of course, the more people who tasted them, the more she would have to make. Ulysses thought maybe they should try selling the clam cakes and chowder along with their lemonade.
A small stand was built down near where the Point Judith Light house stands now. Ulysses bought the property where the restaurant is now located, and the restaurant was built in 1920. The counter area and front dining room is the original building, and over several years, the building grew. And how did Aunt Carrie’s get its name? Well, besides their six children, lots of nieces and nephews came along to the beach. Some one always seemed to be calling “Aunt Carrie!” It soon became known as Aunt Carrie’s.
Over the years, many of Carrie’s relatives have worked there. The white haired lady most of you think of as Aunt Carrie was actually her daughter, Gertrude. Gertrude married William Foy, who worked at the restaurant while his family camped here in the summers. Gertrude and William took over the restaurant in 1953 when her father, Ulysses, died, and her mother retired. The kitchen was then expanded to its present size. In 1964, Aunt Carrie died.
In 1984, the next generation – son Bill and daughter-in-law Elsie, with the help of Gertrude and William – took over. William died in 1991 and Gertrude died in 1997. Many of you will remember William as the bald gentleman who worked in the middle of the kitchen.
In 1994, Bill died. Elsie now runs the restaurant with her two daughters – Aunt Carrie’s fourth generation – and a wonderful staff. Take time to look around at some of the old pictures. You may even find someone you know. If you are around very early in the morning, you will find our bakers busy peeling apples for pies and making homemade raisin bread.
Content curtsy: Aunt Carrie’s.
