Haven Brothers Diner
Encyclopedia
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, is one of the oldest restaurants on wheels in America and was founded in 1888 as a horse drawn lunch wagon
Lunch Wagon
Lunch Wagon is a 1981 sex comedy starring Pamela Jean Bryant, Rosanne Katon, and Candy Moore. The film was directed by Ernest Pintoff and written by Marshall Harvey and Leon Phillips.-Synopsis:...
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History
In 1888, Anne Philomena Haven (1842—1912), a widowed immigrant, founded the dinerDiner
A diner, also spelled dinor in western Pennsylvania is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially in the Midwest, in New York City, in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, and in other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout...
business with the proceeds from her husband Patrick's life insurance policy. The "lunch cart" (as the family called it) was purchased in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was originally a horse-drawn wagon. Anne's daughter, Catherine Gannon, and Catherine's husband Dennis Gannon continued to run the diner with the help of their young sons William Gannon and John Gannon. Dennis continued to run the business until he sold it to his daughters, Catherine, Anne, Tibertus, and Marian. The Haven family finally sold the business in 1953 to the Mollicone family, and later owners included Jack Ferry, and currently, the Giusti family. Every evening at 4:30 p.m., the proprietor wheels the 1949 Fred W. Morse diner car (the third wagon in the diner's history) to the corner of Dorrance and Fulton streets next to the Providence City Hall
Providence City Hall
Providence City Hall is the center of the municipal government in Providence, Rhode Island and is located at the west end of Kennedy Plaza.Built in 1878, Providence City Hall is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
and Kennedy Plaza
Kennedy Plaza
Kennedy Plaza is a transportation hub in downtown Providence, Rhode Island next to the Providence City Hall and Providence Federal Building. It serves as the nexus of the state's conventional-bus and trolley-replica bus public transit services operated by Rhode Island Public Transit Authority , as...
. After it closes, the diner is wheeled away to Federal Hill. The diner operates downtown from 4:30 pm to 5:00 am and then on Spruce Street from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
The diner was featured in the television show Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
during the famous "I Have James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
" song.
It was also featured in a Providence-themed episode of Man v. Food Nation
Man v. Food Nation
Man v. Food Nation is the name given to the fourth season of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food, a food reality television series. It premiered at 9 PM ET on June 1, 2011, with a special preview episode, "The Quest Begins", airing at 9 PM ET on May 25, 2011.In this show, host Adam Richman, actor and...
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External links
41°49′26.5"N 71°24′45"W