The Home of Sliced Bread: Chillicothe, Missouri

Today’s Missouri roadside attraction is the greatest thing since sliced bread! Actually…it is sliced bread! Chillicothe, Missouri is the “Home of Sliced Bread.” It’s the town where the one intention every other invention has to live up to was first sold.

The Rohwedder Bread Slicer was first put into use there by the Chillicothe Baking Company in 1928. Before that all bread was…gasp…cut by hand! Can you imagine?

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

The Home of Sliced Bread in Chillicothe, Missouri.

Here’s what the Chillicothe Sliced Bread plaque says:

On July 7, 1982, Chillocothe baker Frank Bench and inventor Otto Rohwedder secured Chillicothe Missouri’s Slice of History. On this day their bread slicing machine produced the first loaves of sliced bread and made them available on the shelves of Chillicothe grocery stores.

The machine instantly changed the way consumers bought bread and increased the bakery’s sales by 2000 percent in 2 weeks. Until this invention, which has long ben synonymous with innovation, bread had to be sliced by hand in home kitchens.

At approximately five feet long and four feet high, the device was the invention of Iowa native O.F. Rohwedder. His machine was turned down by many bakers before being offered to Frank Bench. The original machine used at Chillicothe Baking Company eventually fell apart; however Rohwedder’s second machine is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute.

This building, located at the corner of First and Elm Streets, is the original home of the bread slicing machine.

The Home of Sliced Bread in Chillicothe, Missouri.

Original Site of The Frank Bench Bakery
Home of Sliced Bread
July 7, 1928

The Home of Sliced Bread in Chillicothe, Missouri.

Taking a road trip through Missouri? Make sure you take time to see the World’s Largest Fork and Maxie the Goose.


A plaque commemorating Chillicothe, Missouri as the home of sliced bread

Location: 1st St & Asher St in Chillicothe, Missouri
Hours: Always Visible
Cost: Free to See


Pin this Missouri roadside attraction:

The greatest invention since sliced bread! Chillicothe, Missouri is the Home of Sliced Bread: the first bread slicing machine was invented and used there. This place to visit in Missouri is a must see for your Missouri road trip itinerary.
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The greatest invention since sliced bread! Chillicothe, Missouri is the Home of Sliced Bread: the first bread slicing machine was invented and used there. This place to visit in Missouri is a must see for your Missouri road trip itinerary.

Valerie Bromann

Founder & ROad Trip Expert

Valerie Bromann is a a website manager, content creator, and writer from Chicago, Illinois (currently living in Dallas, Texas). As an avid road tripper who has visited hundreds of roadside attractions, Val always pull over for a world’s largest thing. Founder of Silly America and author of The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book, she visits, photographs, and writes about all the weird tourist destinations she visits and offers road trip planning advice and inspiration based on her own travels so you can hit the road for yourself.

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Last modified: July 5, 2020
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The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

BY Valerie Bromann

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

The road trip you’ve been dreaming of starts here! Journal about your stops and get to know your fellow passengers with activities and exercises designed to pass the time and bring you closer together. Instead of “Are we there yet?” you’ll find yourself asking, “We’re there already?”. Complete with prompts you can turn to while driving between locations, this journal will one day be a memento of your life-changing trip.