Formerly: Trowbridge's Creamery
Florence, Alabama · Founded 1918
Florence’s oldest continuously operating business in its original location, serving ice cream and sandwiches since 1918.
Texas dairy farmer Paul Trowbridge opened Trowbridge’s Creamery on North Court Street in Florence in 1918. The business began with milk and ice cream, then added hot dogs, chili, and sandwiches during World War II. Still operating at 316 N. Court Street under fourth-generation owner Pam Trowbridge, it is identified by local and state sources as Florence’s oldest continuously operating business in its original location.
Texas dairy farmer Paul Trowbridge stops in Florence while traveling to a dairy convention in North Carolina and decides to move his family to the Shoals.
Source: Alabama Retail Association, "Trowbridges in Florence Turns 100"; Southern Foodways Alliance, "2025 Keeper of the Flame: Pam Trowbridge"
Paul Trowbridge opens Trowbridge's Creamery on North Court Street in Florence.
Source: City of Florence, "Florence Through the Years"; Auburn University Omeka, "Trowbridge's"
During World War II, while Paul Trowbridge's son is away in military service, the family adds hot dogs, chili, and sandwiches to the creamery menu.
Source: Alabama Retail Association, "Trowbridges in Florence Turns 100"; Auburn University Omeka, "Trowbridge's"
Don Trowbridge begins planning to take over the business as the prior generation reduces its daily responsibilities.
Source: Alabama Retail Association, "Trowbridges in Florence Turns 100"
Don Trowbridge buys out his mother and brother and becomes the third-generation owner of Trowbridge's.
Source: Alabama Retail Association, "Trowbridges in Florence Turns 100"
Trowbridge's marks its 100th anniversary alongside Florence's bicentennial celebrations.
Source: Alabama Retail Association, "Trowbridges in Florence Turns 100"
When Mayfield Dairy Farms discontinues orange-pineapple ice cream, fourth-generation owner Pam Trowbridge secures Nash Family Creamery to continue the shop's signature flavor.
Source: AL.com, "Iconic Alabama ice cream is going away, but not for long"; WHNT, "Trowbridge's signature orange-pineapple ice cream returns"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The City of Florence, Alabama Travel, Auburn University archival material, and local accounts all identify Trowbridge's—opened in 1918 at 316 N. Court Street—as Florence's oldest continuously operating business in its original location.
Family, state, and local sources credit founder Paul Trowbridge with creating the orange-pineapple recipe after opening the creamery in 1918. The flavor remains the business's signature specialty, now produced for Trowbridge's by an outside dairy using the family recipe.
Trowbridge's has operated in Florence since 1918 and is widely recognized locally, but this review did not conduct a statewide comparison of earlier Alabama ice-cream parlors, soda fountains, closures, relocations, or successor businesses. The documented title is citywide oldest business in its original location, not statewide oldest ice-cream parlor.
Local, state, and Southern Foodways sources identify Paul Trowbridge as a Texas dairy farmer who passed through Florence on his way to a dairy convention in North Carolina before moving his family there.
Paul Trowbridge came from Ohio before founding Trowbridge's.
Paul Trowbridge was a Texas dairy farmer who decided to relocate to Florence after stopping there while traveling to a dairy convention in North Carolina.
Source: Alabama Retail Association, "Trowbridges in Florence Turns 100"; Southern Foodways Alliance, "2025 Keeper of the Flame: Pam Trowbridge"
Trowbridge's introduced orange-pineapple ice cream in 1928.
Sources credit founder Paul Trowbridge with developing the orange-pineapple recipe after opening the creamery in 1918, but this review found no support for a specific 1928 introduction date.
Source: Southern Foodways Alliance, "2025 Keeper of the Flame: Pam Trowbridge"; AL.com, "Iconic Alabama ice cream is going away, but not for long"
Trowbridge's original location proves its building dates to the early 1900s and all interior features are original.
Trowbridge's has remained at its original business location since 1918, but this review did not verify the storefront construction date or establish the installation dates of individual fixtures and booths.
Source: City of Florence, "Florence Through the Years"; Alabama Travel, "Trowbridge's Ice Cream & Sandwich Shop"
Trowbridge’s survives because the family treated a small creamery as a durable neighborhood institution rather than a nostalgia replica. Its orange-pineapple ice cream, simple lunch menu, and long continuity at one downtown address built generations of local attachment. Pam Trowbridge now maintains the business as its fourth-generation owner, including keeping the signature flavor available when a previous supplier discontinued it.
Trowbridge's in Florence, Alabama, opened in 1918 when Texas dairy farmer Paul Trowbridge established Trowbridge's Creamery on North Court Street. The business began with ice cream and dairy products, then expanded into hot dogs, chili, and sandwiches during World War II. It remains at 316 N. Court Street under fourth-generation owner Pam Trowbridge.
Trowbridge's is Florence’s oldest continuously operating business in its original location, but this review did not establish it as Alabama’s oldest ice-cream parlor. The shop’s 1918 founding and uninterrupted Florence operation are well supported; a statewide oldest-parlor title would require comparison with other Alabama ice-cream businesses.
Pam Trowbridge is the fourth-generation owner and manager of Trowbridge's. Recent Alabama and Southern Foodways reporting identifies her as the family member maintaining the 1918 North Court Street business and its orange-pineapple ice-cream tradition.
316 N Court St, Florence, AL 35630
(256) 764-1503
None on file
Trowbridge's is on North Court Street in downtown Florence; confirm current hours, menu availability, and holiday closures directly before visiting.