04/27/2024
The story of Tilton Inn began with Albert Antoine Ulrich Sr. In the late 1910s, Al Sr. emigrated from Colmar in the Alsace region of France/Germany to seek a new life in Atlantic City, New Jersey. There, he would work as a chef at the famous Traymore Hotel for several years. On February 17, 1922, his oldest son, Albert Antoine Jr., was born. After navigating his life as a hotel chef and young father, Al Sr. decided to go out on his own and opened The Garden Bar on Pacific Avenue (located on the beachside of the block near Illinois Avenue - across the street from the Post Office). This is where is son, Al Jr., would first learn what it took to own and operate a successful restaurant/tavern.
When WWII was thrust upon our nation, Al Jr., who only recently graduated from Atlantic City High School, immediately volunteered to join the Army Air Corps. At 20 years old, he was commissioned with the Eighth Air Force where he would serve as the engineer and top turret gunner of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber. From June 11, 1943 to October 18, 1943, Al Jr. heroically assisted his many B-17 crews (he served on two separate B-17s named The Prodigal Son and Virgin's Delight) in carrying out 25 bombing missions during the crucial early phases of bombing Nazi-occupied territories. He even took part in the infamous "Black Thursday" bombing of Schweinfurt, Germany, where he would unfortunately see many of his fellow airmen give their lives. Al Jr. was a true American war hero.
Shortly after Al Jr.'s tour of duty ended, he moved back to the US to train the next round of US gunners at the Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois. While stationed in Illinois, he met the love of his life Mildred Jones from Kansas, Illinois. It would not take long for Al Jr. to realize he found a good one. They married shortly after meeting and ultimately moved back to Al's hometown of Atlantic City.
Upon his return to Atlantic City, Al Jr. began working with the Boardwalk National Bank as a bank manager while also assisting his father with operations at The Garden Bar. Fast forward to the early 1960s, and Al Sr. decided it was time to sell The Garden Bar so he could help his son find a new location for a restaurant/tavern off the island. With the assistance of Elwood Kirkman, the President of Boardwalk National Bank, and Frank "Hap" Farley, they suggested that Al Jr. locate his new restaurant/tavern on a street named Tilton Road, bordering the towns of Egg Harbor Township and Northfield. At the time, it was suggested to him that this street would in all likelihood become the artery for travel in Atlantic County even though the adjacent Hingston Avenue was a dirt road surrounded by dense woods.
In August of 1963, Al Jr. and Mildred opened the Tilton Inn Tavern and Grill at the corner of Tilton Road and Hingston Avenue – where they would run the "joint" for 22 years before passing on the torch to their children Michele, Michael, and Mark. The siblings continued Al and Mildred's Tilton Inn tradition for another 39 years until today, April 27, 2024.
Although the story of Tilton Inn comes to an end, its memories will endure forever in the hearts and minds of our many loyal employees and customers. On behalf of the Ulrich family, we are truly humbled by the outpouring of support and love for our beloved EHT institution throughout our 61 years. We cannot thank everyone enough!
