A fudge shop magnate was killed outside a Jersey Shore nightclub on this week in Philly history
On Sept. 7, 1964, Harry Anglemyer, the 37-year-old owner of the chain of Copper Kettle fudge shops, was found dead on the floor of the front seat of his Lincoln Continental.
A Philadelphia man made a name for himself in the middle of the 20th century at the Jersey Shore by opening a series of flashy candy shops.
He also made enemies for fighting blue laws, and because he was gay.
On Sept. 7, 1964, Harry Anglemyer, the 37-year-old owner of the chain of Copper Kettle fudge shops, was found dead on the floor of the front seat of his Lincoln Continental.
Start of an empire
Anglemyer learned the fudge trade working summers at a Wildwood shop.
After serving in the Navy at the end of War War II, the 20-year-old high school dropout opened his first fudge shop on the Ocean City boardwalk in 1947.
The shop rose to prominence by churning out — by hand — pounds of creamy fudge in the shop’s namesake: real copper kettles.
Anglemyer opened several locations, amassed a fortune, and became civically involved.
He was an outspoken rabble-rouser as it pertained to the town’s blue laws, which prevented most boardwalk businesses from operating on Sundays, which were reserved for church business.
The bachelor was also indicted in 1963 on three counts related to his sexual behavior, which was criminalized at the time.
By Labor Day 1964, he had been acquitted of one charge, but was awaiting trial on the other two.
Considering his penchant for ruffling feathers, and the prejudice against LGBTQ+ people at the time, some people were not surprised by what came next.
End of an empire
He was found beaten to death inside his car early Labor Day morning outside the Dunes, a rock and roll club in Egg Harbor Township, outside Ocean City.
Many have theorized on the mystery, with some believing the crime was the work of an extortion ring that preyed on gay men.
A man who served time in federal prison for the ring was tried in Anglemyer’s death in 1969.
Ultimately he was acquitted when a star witness refused to take the stand.
After Anglemyer’s death, his sister Elaine Stasak and her family ran the business.
By 1980, the family counted five locations spread over the Shore in Ocean City, Avalon, Sea Isle City, and Stone Harbor. But by turn of the 21st century, all the shops had closed, and the sun had set on the fudge empire.
