By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
Carlton O. Blackmore, the founder of the Jersey Freeze ice cream stand at Manalapan Avenue and Route 9, Freehold, has died in Florida at the age of 99.
Blackmore died on Nov. 17 at the Waterford Health Center, Juno Beach, according to an online obituary. He is survived by his son, Bruce, and daughter-in-law, Kimberly. He is also survived by a grandson, Eric Blackmore, of Jackson. Blackmore was predeceased by his wife, Harriet, in 1990, and by two sons, Ronald and Douglas.
Over the course of the 64 years in which it has been in operation, first as a summer ice cream stand and later as a restaurant that is open all year, Jersey Freeze has become a popular destination for area residents and a stop on the itinerary for former residents who return to Monmouth County for a visit.
In 2000, The Food Network sent a crew to Jersey Freeze to film a segment for “Ice Cream Unwrapped.” The crew’s visit was chronicled in a News Transcript article.
The producer of the segment told a reporter that fans of Jersey Freeze, upon learning she was working on “Ice Cream Unwrapped,” implored her to include the Freehold landmark in the program.
The News Transcript spoke with Bruce Blackmore, who by that time had followed his father as the owner of the venerable ice cream stand and provided the history of the establishment.
Jersey Freeze was founded in 1952 by Carlton Blackmore, a resident of Westfield, Union County, who was employed making milk and ice cream at the Alderney Dairy in Newark. Blackmore said that after his dad had been working on formulas for soft ice cream, he decided to try it for himself.
A relative, Lloyd Ogden, was a professor at the Peddie School in Hightstown and that connection led Carlton Blackmore to central New Jersey.
Blackmore and Ogden bought a piece of land along Manalapan Avenue, which sits in Freehold Borough and Freehold Township, and built their ice cream stand.
Initially, Jersey Freeze was a seasonal business and it was not uncommon for Carlton Blackmore to work at the dairy in Newark from 5 a.m. until early afternoon and then drive down to work at Jersey Freeze until closing, his son said.
In the 1960s, hamburgers and hot dogs were added to the ice cream stand’s menu. It was also at about that time that Alderney Dairy was sold and Carlton Blackmore left the dairy business. He moved his family to Brielle, made Jersey Freeze a year round business and expanded the menu and the building.
Expansion continued with the addition of a large dining room in 1978, before Carlton Blackmore retired in 1979.
Blackmore, who had earlier bought out Ogden, sold the business to his son, Bruce, who was operating steakhouses in Michigan. Bruce Blackmore took over as the president of Jersey Freeze on July 1, 1980 and ran the business for several decades until he sold it to the current owners, Katie DiNonno and Matthew Cangialosi, in 2015.
On the Jersey Freeze Facebook page, the current owners wrote, “Our condolences to the Blackmore family … Carlton founded Jersey Freeze in 1952, we are honored to continue the tradition and make sure Jersey Freeze stays around for years and years to come!”