Perched on the bank of
the South Canal in Lawrence is Sam's Steak Out, Worcester dining car
#750. Visitors enjoy excellent home-style foods, hospitality and a view of the Great
Stone Dam. This diner started out as Worcester dining car #322 known as Joe's Lunch in 1918 by Joseph Elward
& Family, who later replaced it with the present dining car.
Joe's Lunch, 1923 - (Photo donated by
Lawrence Public Library)
During this period the
diner served meals to hungry mill workers who came from many of the
local mills. After the mills began closing, many of the diners in
Lawrence closed or greatly curtailed their hours of operation.
After an interim period where the diner was
utilized as office space, in 1983
the diner was restored to an eating facility by the Kelleher Family who
operates it to this day. In earlier
days meals were cooked in the downstairs kitchen and lifted by a
dumbwaiter to be served to patrons over a counter in the dining area. The kitchen has since been
moved upstairs and the dumbwaiter is used to
transport food supplies and, of course, desserts.
(Photos at top of the page donated by Albert Grant)
