MUSCATINE (AP) — Muscatine High School may be the proud new owner of a diner that dates back to the 1930s if the school board approves the gift.
The Clamshell Diner has been in Muscatine for about 10 years. The 12-seat, 12-ton diner currently belongs to Tom and Ann Meeker, who want to donate it to the high school so long as the school board agrees, the Muscatine Journal reported.
Arthur Valentine created the small, prefabricated Valentine Diners that had limited food menus, making them ideal for one or two people to operate. The diners offered Americans an opportunity to operate their own businesses with little money put down. They were manufactured in Kansas from the 1930s into the 1970s and spread throughout the nation.