Local History

Millions of hot dogs are wolfed down every year across the world - but could the origins of this famous snack lie in our very own city of Derby?

There are many claims to the invention of the first ever sausage in a roll but one of the strongest comes from Harry Stevens who was born in Litchurch in 1856 but moved to Ohio in 1880.

Harry Stevens

Upon arriving in the States, Harry became obsessed with baseball and quickly made his mark by designing and selling the sport's first scorecard - a design which is still in use to this day.

But it was his next big idea that made the biggest impact. By 1900, Harry had secured contracts to supply refreshments at several Major League ballparks across the US.

He decided his stalls needed a new snack suited to colder weather and, being aware of the popular 'dachshund' sausages sold in nearby shops, he ordered his staff to buy as many as possible, cook them in hot water tanks and serve them in a long bread roll.

The new snack was an instant success with baseball spectators and, ever the entrepenuer, Harry expanded the operation to sell the 'hot dogs' from street stalls across New York where they remain a popular quick eat for city workers in a hurry.

At the same time, other vendors across the States were quick to pick up on the idea (with some claiming the idea as their own) and it wasn't long before the simple concept had become a national and international favourite.

The story makes up part of Nicola Rippon's book 'Derbyshire's Own' but Harry Stevens' claim to be the originator of the hot dog is strongly contested from various quarters.

Charles Feltman, a German immigrant living in New York's Coney Island, is said to have started selling sausages in rolls from as early as 1870.

Anton Ludwig Feuchtwanger, a Bavarian sausage seller, has also laid claim to the idea, offering the snack at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago complete with white gloves to prevent sticky hands.

Meanwhile Chris von der Ahe, another German immigrant who owned the St Louis Browns, is thought to have been offering up hot dogs to spectators from as early as 1893.

But whether he was the first person to actually 'build' a hot dog or not, it seems that Derby's Harry Stevens certainly played a significant role in popularising the snack - so perhaps it's time somebody opened up a hot dog stand in Derby itself!