Wisconsin was the birthplace claimed for the ice-cream sundae by Two Rivers.
Two Rivers, Wisconsin, says a soda-fountain owner named Edward Berners served ice cream with chocolate syrup in 1881. According to the local story, the combination became known as a “sundae” after an unusual serving request. Two Rivers has promoted this account for many years and maintains a museum connected with the claim.
The origin is disputed. Ithaca, New York, also has a well-known claim, supported by an 1892 newspaper account describing ice cream with cherry syrup and a cherry. Other communities have offered additional versions involving soda fountains and Sunday specials.
Because several origin stories survive, the most precise wording is that Wisconsin is the state in the Two Rivers claim, not that historians unanimously agree it invented the dessert. The sundae’s name and exact beginnings remain a subject of regional rivalry.