BY LIZ WITBECK
Nat and Nancy Huntington had been
planning on opening a restaurant since
they were teenagers.
“We have wanted to have a breakfast,
lunch type of place since we were in high
school and made plans but never followed
through,” Nat Huntington said. “Whitehall
has been a good town to us and we wanted
to give back to the community.”
Their dreams came true when they
opened Historic Grounds in December.
The shop is located at 142 Main St.,
Whitehall, in a building erected in 1906
that was previously used as a bank and
town hall. The building features exposed
brick interiors, white columns and hardwood
flooring.
Since opening in December, the Huntingtons
said they have received a lot of
positive feedback from the community.
They respect the opinions of their neighbors
and encourage people to tell them
what kinds of features they would like to
see at Historic Grounds.
“We wanted it to be a community place,
because Whitehall has a lot of history,”
said Nat.
Originally, the shop was going to be a takeout-only lunch establishment, until
people voiced their opinions they wanted
somewhere to eat a full sit-down breakfast
and lunch.
“The community has been very supportive,”
he said.
The owners said all food is freshly prepared
and cooked on location. The meats,
such as turkey, corned beef, and ham, are
roasted and carved on premise. Baked
items such as muffins and popovers are
baked directly in the kitchen, rather than
being shipped from a distributor. Coffee
and espresso is roasted at the shop.
Some menu items are named after
historical figures in the town. The Ambrose
Gilligan, named after a prominent
principal and teacher in the Whitehall
school district, is a sandwich featuring
turkey, bacon, ranch dressing, lettuce and
tomato. The Railroader is a special house
blend coffee.
Huntington said in the future, the shop
will hosts monthly open mic nights featuring
local artists.
Historic Grounds is open seven days a
week, serving breakfast from 6 a.m. until
noon, and lunch from noon until 4 p.m. The
phone number is 499-5017.
Photo by Todd Bissonette Photography