This page is a part of our current exhibit, Fermenting a Communal Spirit: Morris County Tavern, Speakeasies & Social Clubs, on display through 2026. For the complete story, come visit any time during Acorn Hall’s regular hours.
One of the most popular alcoholic beverages in early America – sometimes eclipsing even beer – hard cider was produced extensively in New Jersey. The state also became known for its applejack, aka “Jersey Lightning,” a brandy distilled from hard cider. In fact, the largest and oldest distiller of the “ardent spirit,” Laird & Co., can still be found in Scobeyville, NJ, and reportedly accounts for 95% of the intoxicating beverage produced.
By 1834, Morris County was a leading local grower of apples with an estimated average output of 800,000 bushels. It also was noted for its cider and applejack. That year, it was recorded in the “Gazetteer of the State of New Jersey” with the second highest number of cider distilleries of any county (53). Only behind Hunterdon (58), Morris County was interestingly ahead of Monmouth, home to Laird & Co., which had 46.
