Friday 22  July 2016

Driving along Rt. 11 between New Market and Mount Jackson a sign can be seen along side of the road with a fading image of a rooster.  On closer inspection the rooster is holding a broken golf club and smoking a cigar!  This is a left-over relic from times past.

Sign on Rt. 11 south of Mt. Jackson

Chicken in the Rough was a restaurant founded in 1936 in Oklahoma City, and featured a specialty dish of a half fried chicken, shoestring potatoes and a biscuit with honey. In 1937 the restaurant chain had locations on Rt. 66 in Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois. In 1949 an unusual grill was designed that simultaneously fried and steamed chicken, after which time franchising began. It was the first nationally franchised restaurant chain in the United States. During its heyday, the chain had stores in nearly 300 franchise locations, including one at M. D.’s Motel near New Market in the Shenandoah Valley.  Inscriptions on postcards like the one below

provide a glimpse into the Chicken in the Rough experience.

“Where you see this sign, it’s genuine fried 1/2 chicken served unjointed without silverware.  Every bit a tender  delight.  Lots of shoestring potatoes, jug honey and hot buttered rolls.”

“A $100 cash prize will be awarded to the first person who eats Chicken in the Rough in as many as 25 places listed on our placemat or carry-out carton over a period of six months.  Mail one of the Chicken in the Rough postcards, which may be obtained from the cashier, to the home office.  Each postcard must be signed and dated by an authorized person of each restaurant and Beverly Osborne reserves the right to be the sole judge in issuance of this award.”

Just a short distance north of the Chicken in the Rough sign and across Rt. 11 travelers can buy a dozen brown eggs using a self-serve honor system.

along Rt 11 south of Mt Jackson

Perhaps this picturesque farm is home to the hens that supply the brown eggs.

Farm south of Mt Jackson along Rt 11