Princess Restaurant

I think this was the only place in town that was open for breakfast on the day we were there.

Great place to have breakfast. Do not sit in a booth, as they are miserably uncomfortable. We got a comfy table and had a nice breakfast.

Sit in the booths. For those who don't know, Harry Truman was once president of the United States. A year or so after he and Bess retired to Independence, Missouri, they decided to return to Washington D.C. In those days, ex-presidents didn't have secret service protection or even pensions. So Harry and Bess drove Highway 40 some 1,000 miles from Independence to D.C. After one or two nights in motels, they stopped at the Princess for breakfast. The booth they sat in has a picture of them that morning. The owner, the ancestor of the current owner, recognized them of course and was very excited. Frostburg was served by a party line phone system. Every call went through an operator. So the Princess'es owner called her and told her Harry and Bess were there having breakfast. It was a Sunday, and the operator started phoning everyone in town. By the time breakfast was over, a sizable crowd had congregated outside the diner. Harry was flattered with attention from the good citizens of Frostburg. But before he left, the owner told Harry that his mother was a big fan. Since it was her birthday, he asked if Harry would mind stopping by her house. It was on the way out of town. The "man of the people" couldn't refuse of course. Unfortunately, the mother was so talkative that the Trumans were detained for half an hour. But that's the kind of man Harry Truman was, and, though the booths are small by today's standards, it may be worth sitting in one like Harry Truman did and see how it feels to be an ordinary American.

Sit in the booths. For those who don't know, Harry Truman was once president of the United States. A year or so after he and Bess retired to Independence, Missouri, they decided to return to Washington D.C. In those days, ex-presidents didn't have secret service protection or even pensions. So Harry and Bess drove Highway 40 some 1,000 miles from Independence to D.C. After one or two nights in motels, they stopped at the Princess for breakfast. The booth they sat in has a picture of them that morning. The owner, the ancestor of the current owner, recognized them of course and was very excited. Frostburg was served by a party line phone system. Every call went through an operator. So the Princess'es owner called her and told her Harry and Bess were there having breakfast. It was a Sunday, and she started phoning everyone in town. By the time breakfast was over, a sizable crowd had congregated outside the diner. Harry was flattered with the kind attention from the good citizens of Frostburg. But before he left, the owner told Harry that his mother was a big fan. Since it was her birthday, he asked if Harry would mind stopping by her house. It was on the way out of town. The "man of the people" couldn't refuse of course. Unfortunately, the mother was so talkative that the Trumans were detained for half an hour. But that's the kind of man Harry Truman was, and, though the booths are small by today's standards, it may be worth sitting in one like Harry Truman did and see how it feels to be an ordinary American.

Thanks for the history! Harry picked a good place to stop.