A Chance Meeting at the White Light Cafe

By Joann M. Ringelstetter

Three years ago, Ruth and I took an 11-day spring photography trip to the Ohio River Valley. We spent the first day working our way down through Illinois and Indiana. We spent the next two days working our way east along the Ohio River. On the morning of the fourth day, we crossed the river to visit historic Maysville, Kentucky.

After photographing many of the historic buildings there, we passed an old decorative building for the second time. We hadn’t stopped the first time because we were on a mission to capture all the historic buildings we knew about and this one wasn’t on our list. But it was too beautiful to pass up a second time.

White Block Building, Maysville, Kentucky

The building was constructed of red brick and it had teal green decorative accents. At the top of the building’s center point was a nameplate that said, “White Block.” We often see buildings with this type of name on them. It’s usually the last name of the original owner followed by the word “Block.”

White Block Building, Maysville, Kentucky

Often the year the building was built is shown under the name. In this case, the year 1884 was above a door on the right side of the building. There were several doors, so I’m assuming there were several businesses in this building. Usually when I’m photographing a building that’s close to the street, I need to get back far enough to keep the perspective straight, so it’s a challenge to avoid parked cars. In this case, I was blessed by a yellow curb along the entire front of the building and the best spot to photograph was in the parking lot of the Church of the Nativity across the street.

White Block Building, Maysville, Kentucky

It was a Monday, so you would think the church parking lot would have been empty, but it was parked full of cars. I set up my tripod in the middle of the lot and started taking photographs of the White Block building. After only a couple of shots, a car pulled into the lot, so I picked up my tripod to move it out of the way. But the driver stopped, put down his window, and started a conversation. His name was Richard and he asked me if I would like some information about the building. Well, you can guess what my answer was!

White Block Building, Maysville, Kentucky

Richard told me that the left-hand corner of this building once housed the White Light Café, home of White Light Hamburgers. He said it was the first fast food restaurant in Maysville in the days before the big chains like McDonald’s and Wendy’s. People would line up on the sidewalk waiting for a delicious burger. He said that you went inside to order and when your hamburgers were ready, they put them in a white paper sack.

White Light Cafe, Maysville, Kentucky

Then Richard described the hamburger itself. It was small, but thick, and was basically a slider (which are typically small). As he gave me the details of the burgers and the building, his wife smiled and nodded and, several times, she seemed to want to join the conversation, but Richard always (lovingly) spoke for her. He said that she was born and raised on a farm in the Maysville area and that her family often came downtown to get some White Light Hamburgers.

White Block Building, Maysville, Kentucky

Hearing that his wife had grown up on a farm, I shared a little bit about growing up on a farm myself. Again, she seemed to have something to say, but couldn’t quite get the words out. I wasn’t sure what the problem was, but I waited patiently as she tried to say a few words. Then Richard apologized for his wife’s struggles and thanked me for my patience. He said that she had Alzheimer’s and that her doctor said she would continue to remember her childhood. So, he decided to bring her back home to Maysville and she was enjoying her childhood memories. Her family farm had been sold, but many of the buildings were still there and she remembered living there. Such a sweet couple they were!

White Block Building, Maysville, Kentucky

After they left, I crossed E. Third Street to take a few close-up photos of the building detail. Richard had told me that he thought there used to be a pickup window on the side of the café that faced Limestone Street. As I was standing there with my tripod, an old man came down the sidewalk and stopped to tell me that he used to come to the White Light Café for their famous hamburgers. So, I asked him about the pickup window. He said that you had to place your order inside, but then you could wait for your food outside at the pickup window.

White Light Cafe with Pickup Window, Maysville, Kentucky

The White Light Café may have gone out of business years ago, but the burger lives on. The recipe was purchased by the owner of a new restaurant called the Drive-in, which opened in Olive Hill, Kentucky. Olive Hill is only about an hour from Maysville, so anyone who longs for an old-fashioned White Light Hamburger can still get their fix by taking a short road trip. And speaking of road trips, when you’re on one, don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation with a local. You’ll probably learn some interesting history!

White Block Building, Maysville, Kentucky

Happy Shunpiking!
Joann