08/17/2026
A Carousel, a Doll and a Peacock:
Auburn Ice Cream Shops part 2
When you think of a carousel, wooden horses bouncing up and down may come to mind. In Auburn’s history Carousel also means ice cream and good food. The Carousel Dairy Bar was a popular place in town to get some good ice cream. It was located at 750 Oxford Street at the corner of Washington Street. It was originally owned by Michael Deliso and his wife, Frances, who bought land in Auburn in 1949. They originally had a house and garage, but by 1951 a store was listed on the property. In 1956 there was a restaurant located on Washington Street next to their house, but no garage was listed on the property tax. Michael and Frances Deliso lived in a house next door to the Carousel Dairy Bar until they sold the house and it was moved to Goulding Drive. In 1957 a boat store appeared along with the restaurant, so you could buy a boat then celebrate with and ice cream cone. The 1961 tax records show that the Deliso’s bought a house on Bryn Mawr Ave and still owned the restaurant but no store. The restaurant finally disappeared in 1966 when Interstate 290 was being built in Auburn. The locaion is where the ramps are off Route 20. The Carousel toted the best in ice cream, fountain service of ice cream sodas, jumbo frankfurters and hamburgers, sandwiches, fried clams and French fries. A long-time resident remembers it was also a school bus stop. Some Auburnites who worked at the Carousel Dairy Bar included George Lamb, Betty Gaines, and George & Louise Jewell Sr. in the early 1950s. In the mid-50s he said it was run by a very large man called “Tiny”.
There was another unique place to get ice cream that eventually wound up in a museum. According to a 1999 article, it was manufactured by the Worcester Lunch Car Company about 1940 and was in operation in Medford for ten years. It was then moved to Worcester and was found at the corner of Commercial and Foster Streets. When the Centrum was being constructed the diner was moved to a salvage yard. That’s where John P. Tighe bought the Sherwood’s Diner in the 1970s for a whopping $500. He renamed it the Dairy Doll and it was placed between Colony Package Store and Cantwell Hardware Store. John said he bought it because he was a bricklayer and ate many meals in diners so owning one brought back many memories. The diner also served hamburgers and other food fare. The Dairy Doll was donated to The American Diner Museum of Providence in 1999 by John Tighe. It cost more to move it than it did to buy it.
The 1948 Auburn High School yearbook had an ad that said Harlow’s Dairy Bar at Drury Square was the place to sit down with books and French fries. A person could get a 5-cent vanilla coke to go with the ice cream and fries. This place was owned and run by Leslie Harlow and his wife, Clarice. Leslie spent most of his early life working with candy and snacks. The 1900 census has him as a wrapper in a popcorn factory at the age of 18. His World War I draft card stated he was employed at the Harlow Quality Kiss Company, 269 Main St. in Worcester and so it was stated also in the 1920-1950 census. He married Clarise Farwell in 1906 and she was by his side helping at Harlow’s and carried on after he died in 1963. There were many name changes through the years with the last one being the Peacock Club. It was eventually owned by Mark Sarkisian and provided many years of entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays, so say the many ads. This aspect of the Peacock Club will be explored at a later date.
Do you have any stories about these or other places in Auburn that had ice cream when you were younger? The Auburn Historical Society and Museum would enjoy having them to put in the Holstrom Archives along with this series. Just contact them at: [email protected] or 508-832-6856, www.auburnhistoricalmuseum.org or follow us on Facebook at Auburn Historical.
This article is the second in the “Ice Cream Shops of Auburn” series and was made possible by the Auburn Historical Society & Museum, 41 South Street. The museum is open Tuesday and Saturday mornings 9:30-12:30.
Helen Poirier
41 South Street, Auburn, Massachusetts
