In 1911, Otto Poschke and his wife, Elma, opened a peanut and taffy stand about a half a mile from where Don's is now. Poschke expanded with five hamburger stands, including hawking burgers and barbecue out of the location where Don's would be.

In the late 1920s, Poschke built the building that merits a glance as you drive by. In those days, Edgewater Park came right up - no Shoreway then. Poschke lived on the top floor, his home a 3,500-square-foot space.

Economic ups and downs hit, Poschke's finances going south as a result of a divorce and the Depression. In 1942, Peter Strang's grandfather Don took over the property, who converted it to a Howard Johnson's, the ubiquitous and comfortable chain that dotted America's landscape. Almost 30 years later, Strang's father, Don Jr., took over. And in 1972 - the year Poschke died - Don's Lighthouse Inn opened