In the nineteen tens, twenties, and thirties, tourists traveled the roads not only to drive but to see the country, enjoy scenic wonders, connect with history, be entertained, and create family memories, with stops for food and entertainment helping offset the hard work of travel. In 1927, James Black Stoughton left his family's farming tradition and opened a sandwich stand whose chicken salad sandwiches and angel food cake quickly became favorites among travelers on the Lincoln Highway. Within a year, the roadside stand became a small restaurant and won second prize in the Rockefeller wayside stand competition. Later additions included a dining room and terraces overlooking a manmade lake. In the 1930s, Stoughton sought to bring cultural entertainment to his customers by opening a theater next to the expanding restaurant. The Mountain Playhouse was created from an abandoned gristmill moved log by log from Roxsbury to Jennerstown, and its first production opened on June 24, 1939. After thousands of stage plays and musicals, the Mountain Playhouse remains one of the oldest professional summer theaters in the United States.
