King’s Lunch Cart

Archie King’s Lunch cart had just enough space inside to incorporate a kitchen and small dining area. King was born Joseph Archilas Roy in Quebec in 1893 and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1900. His first job was as a shoe shine boy in a barber shop on Main Street. He acquired the lunch room on South Street around 1912. It seems to have been quite popular, and offered specials such as a ham sandwich and coffee for five cents, or strawberry shortcake with whipped cream for fifteen. Local photographer Wills White took this photograph to be used in an advertising card. 

In 1914 King sold the business to two men from Peekskill who renamed it “Federal Lunch.” It changed hands several times after that, slowly becoming an eyesore. William H. Wills had the rundown cart removed in 1940 after he bought the property, building the current building on the lot for his insurance business, now home of the Richards Group, in 1950. The role of lunch carts has been replaced by the diners we know today, like the Blue Benn, and the fast food industry.