History of Jugtown as recalled by Hiram Ely, III

Late 1940s

Hugh and Priscilla Hilder started the business “Hilder’s Locker Plant and Frozen Food” in Flemington, NJ. They processed local farmers’ meats (beef, pork, lamb), cured and smoked meats and made sausage. In their old fashioned pit smokers, they used hickory and sassafras wood delivered by a farmer from nearby Jugtown Mountain. Their customers frozen food storage lockers were underground, accessed by an electric hoist mounted on tracks on the ceiling.

Around 1950

Hiram (Hi) Ely, Jr (recently separated from the US Army) joined the Hilders as a business partner.

Around 1955

Hi Ely became the sole owner, and renamed the business Jugtown Mountain. He expanded the business by opening a gourmet fancy food store and deli, selling his smoked cheeses, smoked meat products and imported gourmet food. At the same time his young son, Hiram III, began learning the business.

Around 1960

Hi Ely opened a larger shop with much more expensive inventory in a new upscale mall in Short Hill, NJ. Hi’s two sons, Hiram III and Christopher, spent time there working and preparing to take over the business.

1960 to 1980

Hi opened 6 additional Jugtown stores in NJ, NY, and PA; two with liquor licenses, selling fancy wines and beers along with Jugtown products and gourmet foods. Business was good. Hi and his family enjoyed ski vacations regularly and bought a condo in Waterville Valley, NH. The Elys became good friends with the Corcorans, who owned the Waterville Valley Resort at the time. On one of these vacations, Ely’s Jugtown station wagon was rescued from a snowbank by Kevin Morse, who was running the Waterville Valley gas station and a small grocery store.

Around 1975

Coincidentally, Jugtown Mountain in Short Hills, NJ closed leaving the Ely’s with a large inventory of store fixtures, shelving and decor. Fortunately, their Waterville Valley acquaintances offered a solution.

With Tom Corcorans encouragement, Kevin and Hi formed a business partnership and opened the first Waterville Valley Jugtown on Route 49, rescuing the store fixtures from Short Hills, NJ.

1987

Applegate Farms purchased Jugtown Mountain Smokehouse, leaving the last remaining Jugtown in Waterville Valley, NH.

1989

With the building on Town Square, Kevin and Hi moved their business to the current location selling smokes bacon, ham, sausage, cheese and fine wine along with vacationers staples. Hi’s grandchildren, Brooke and Eric, spent their high school years working at the Jugtown deli counter.