Salt Water Taffy Box
PeriodCirca 1942
Place MadeNew Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumPrinted paper, cardboard
Dimensions2.25 × 9 × 4.25 in. (5.7 × 22.9 × 10.8 cm)
ClassificationsAdvertising, Business & Ornamental Artifacts
Credit LineMuseum Collection, 2024
Object number2024.506
DescriptionA box, comprised of a cardboard box base and lid, the lid covered with printed paper covering glued along the inside of the lid, printed with the bold "postcard" font "Greetings from Keansburg New Jersey." On both long sides "Salt Water Taffy" printed in green, with short ingredients list located in small green lettering on lower left corner of box top. On one side of lid "Mfg. for Keansburg Drug Co." in green.Curatorial RemarksSalt water taffy was named sometime in the early 1880s in Atlantic City. As the story goes, a candy shop owner, whose stock had been flooded by seawater, told a customer that all he had to sell was "salt water taffy." The name stuck. Taffy itself has been enjoyed since the late 18th century. Originally made from molasses, butter, sugar, and salt, the mixture was heated, then cooled, after which time the gluey mass was pulled repeatedly to aerate the concoction. "Taffy pulls" were popular social events. The children's novel "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder details one such taffy pull. Candymaker Joseph Fralinger is credited with popularizing taffy as a summer treat, boxing it and marketing it in his Atlantic City shop. Competitor Enoch James cut it into small pieces and wrapped them in waxed paper. James is also thought to have been the first to introduce mechanization in the pulling process. Salt water taffy continues to be a popular summertime confection, often sold in seaside locations such as Atlantic City, Cape Cod, and Asbury Park.NotesAdvertisements for the Keansburg Drug Company began appearing in local Monmouth newspapers in 1942. Located at the foot of Carr Avenue, the pharmacy advertised all year round. During the summer months, the firm's ads focused on shore-specific products such as sunburn remedies and calamine lotion. Many ads included mention of "Original Jersey Coast salt water taffy" for forty-nine cents a pound. The Keansburg Drug Company appears to have remained in business until around 1962.
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