Old Fashioned Candy Store in Salem Massachusetts
Ye Olde Pepper Candy Company Makes Hard Rock Candy
Aug 12, 2009
In 1806, a destitute English immigrant and her son stepped ashore in the New World at Salem, Mass., wearing only the clothes on their backs after their ship was lost at sea. She had had some experience as a baker, so helpful neighbors gave Mary Spencer a pound of sugar, cream of tartar and some lemon oil to help her on her feet. With the donated ingrediets, Mrs. Spencer whipped up a batch of candy she called Gibralters and sold them from the church steps.
Gibralters, spelled as Mrs. Spencer did and made exactly as she did, remain the most popular candy sold by the Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie of Salem, the United States' first candy company. No one knows why Mrs. Spencer called them Gibralters or spelled it as she did. Perhaps she sailed past the Rock of Girbraltar and was so impressed that she named her rock candy after without knowing the proper spelling.
Salem Massachusetts
Although Gibralters are not available in the candy aisle of most grocery stores today, they are still being made, sold and shipped from the little store on Derby Street in Salem. They are a lop-sided, diamond-shaped confection with a lemon or pepperment flavor. The company makes about 400 pounds of Gibralters a day using some of the same copper pots that Mrs. Spencer used more than 200 years ago. Much of her equipment is on displayin the shop. There's even a jar of Gibralters made in the 1840s on display, found when the store was remodeled.
School teachers today often order a box of Gibralters for their classrooms when reading the book Runaway Home by Elizabeth Coatsworth. In the book, one of the characters says eating a Gibralter is like eating a piece of history.
Other Old-fashioned Hard Rock Candies
Gibralters are not the only candy made at Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie. They also make classics such as peach stones, barley pops, black jacks and horehounds. And fudge. They make thousands of pounds of fudge each day as well as ice cream.
Famous Fans of Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie
One of the best parts of visiting Ye Olde Pepper Candy Company is watching the candy being made, right there in the store and in the window. The summer tourist season is especially busy. Employees tell the story of the time, years ago, when Jackie Kennedy arrived and bought candy of Caroline and John John. Ron Howard and his family have visited several times as well.
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