This Kentucky General Store Has Been Curing Country Ham Since 1917 And It’s Famous Around The World

A country ham from a small-town general store hangs in a museum in Spain, right beside some of the world’s most famous cured hams. It’s the first and only American country ham to earn that spot.

The recipe behind it traces back to a family will from the 1700s. Each ham gets just pork, salt, brown sugar, and slow hickory smoke, then ages a year or more in the open Kentucky air.

I love that nobody rushes it here. The weather sets the schedule, and every ham gets handled 18 times before it’s ready.

The shop selling it still has creaky poplar floors, shelves of sorghum and chow-chow, jars of homemade jam, and an owner known simply as the Ham Lady. How does a place this small end up famous on two continents?

A Spanish Museum Gave This Ham A Very Fancy Home

Spain takes cured ham about as seriously as anyone on Earth. So when a ham from Col.

Bill Newsom’s Aged Kentucky Country Ham and Newsom’s Old Mill Store landed in the Jamon Museum in Aracena, people noticed.

That moment came in May 2009, at the Fifth World Congress of Dry Cured Hams. The honored ham had aged for two full years before making the trip.

It now hangs alongside celebrated hams from Spain and Italy. No other American country ham has ever received that distinction.

Think about the odds for a second. Europe has centuries of ham-making pride, and a family shop in western Kentucky still earned a seat at the table.

I believe that says a lot about patience and stubborn tradition. The Newsom family never chased shortcuts, and the world eventually came looking for them.

Locally, most folks call the place Newsom’s Old Mill Store, or just Newsom’s. Nationally, you’ll hear the name Col.

Newsom’s Aged Hams instead.

Whatever you call it, the museum honor makes a great story to tell at dinner. It’s also a fine excuse to taste the ham that crossed an ocean.

Bragging rights rarely come this well seasoned. Few souvenirs beat a ham with an international résumé.

You’ll find Newsom’s Old Mill Store at 208 E. Main St., Princeton, Kentucky.

Only Four Ingredients And A Whole Lot Of Waiting

Pork, salt, brown sugar, and hickory smoke. That short list is the entire recipe for the famous country ham sold here.

No nitrates or nitrites go into the cure. Each ham is rubbed by hand, washed by hand, and handled 18 times before it’s finished.

Then comes the hard part, which is waiting. The hams age for a year or more in the natural Kentucky climate.

Weather calls the shots in this process. Warm spells and cold snaps shape the curing time, so the work follows the seasons instead of a factory clock.

I like how old-fashioned that sounds in a world of instant everything. A ham that needs a full year is basically the opposite of fast food.

The result is a dry-cured ham with deep, aged character. Country ham is saltier and firmer than the spiral-sliced kind, so thin slices work best.

Shoppers can also pick up smoked bacon and smoked sausage from the same operation. They make an easy way to bring that hickory flavor into a regular breakfast.

Eighteen trips through careful hands is a lot of attention for one ham. Honestly, most of us don’t get that much care on a Monday.

The Family Tradition Started Long Before The Store Did

New Year’s Day, 1917, was a big day in this corner of Kentucky. That’s when H.C.

Newsom opened the H.C. Newsom Store, right where today’s shop still stands.

The ham story reaches back even further, though. The Newsom family settled in Caldwell County in 1823 and has cured hams the same way ever since.

Their recipe can be traced to a family will from the 1700s. That’s quite an inheritance to find among the paperwork.

Over time, the work passed from one generation to the next. Colonel Bill Newsom taught the trade to his daughter, Nancy Newsom Mahaffey.

Nancy is the third generation to run the store. Altogether, the operation reflects four generations devoted to traditional Southern foodways.

I can’t imagine keeping a business going for more than a century. Doing it on the same spot, with the same methods, feels even more impressive.

That long timeline is part of what makes Newsom’s Old Mill Store feel special. You’re buying from a family, not a brand dreamed up in a boardroom.

History buffs will enjoy the connection to the past. Ham lovers will simply enjoy the delicious results of two centuries of practice.

Say Hello To The Woman Everyone Calls The Ham Lady

Some business owners hide behind voicemail menus. Nancy Newsom Mahaffey answers phone calls herself.

She’s known far and wide as the Ham Lady, and she even signs notes to customers that way. It’s a title she clearly earned the long way.

Nancy learned ham curing from her father, Colonel Bill Newsom. Today she owns and operates the business, keeping his methods alive.

Her personal touch is a big part of the store’s old-fashioned hospitality. Small-town charm is not a marketing slogan here, it’s simply how things run.

I believe that kind of hands-on care shows up in the product. When the owner’s nickname is literally about ham, standards tend to stay high.

Her work has helped carry the family name to chefs, writers, and food fans worldwide. Still, the heart of it all remains a single shop on Main Street.

If you stop in with questions about curing, aging, or slicing, you’re in the right place. Few people anywhere know country ham as well as this family does.

Getting advice straight from the source is a rare treat these days. It beats squinting at a grocery label any day of the week.

Save Room For The Ham With The Holy Nickname

A ham called the Preacher deserves some attention. This one is a fully cooked, hickory-smoked barbecue ham, and it’s ready without any extra work.

That makes it a handy pick for anyone nervous about cooking a country ham. Just slice, serve, and accept the compliments.

Prosciutto is another star at Newsom’s. It’s dry-cured with salt, a small amount of brown sugar, and a hint of hickory smoke.

No chemical additives are used. The prosciutto hangs in the attic and gets rotated as it ages through natural weather temperatures.

Yes, an attic in Kentucky is producing prosciutto. That sentence alone should make any food lover sit up a little straighter.

Both the ham and prosciutto have been served at Presidential inaugurations. Not many products can claim a guest spot at events that big.

Thin slices of prosciutto pair nicely with melon, crackers, or a cheese board. The Preacher ham works well in biscuits, sandwiches, or a pot of beans.

My advice is to try more than one style if you can. Comparing them side by side is the tastiest homework you’ll ever get.

Smoky, savory, and simple to serve, the Preacher ham earns its name honestly. Somebody clearly had a sense of humor when naming it.

Those Shelves Are Packed With Jars Worth Taking Home

Strawberry rhubarb, blackberry, peach, and pear. The preserves lineup alone could keep a toast lover busy for weeks.

There’s plain strawberry too, plus seedless blackberry for anyone who’d rather skip the seeds. Homemade jams and chow-chow sit nearby, adding even more country flavor to the shelves.

Pure sorghum molasses is a classic Southern staple worth grabbing. Drizzle it on hot biscuits and you’ll understand the fuss.

Pure unprocessed honey, relishes, and pickled vegetables round out the pantry section. Salad dressings and breakfast mixes are on hand too.

Then there’s cobbler in a jar, which sounds like a clever shortcut to dessert. Pimento cheese spread and biscuit mix make another easy pairing.

I like how the shelves tell a story about Southern kitchens. Each jar feels connected to recipes families have made for generations.

These items make great gifts for friends back home. They also travel better than a whole aged ham in a small carry-on.

Plan a little extra time for browsing. Between the jams, the honey, and the molasses, a quick stop can turn into a full shopping trip.

Bring a sturdy bag for the ride home. Glass jars and bumpy back roads aren’t always the best of friends.

Food Writers Have Been Singing Its Praises For Decades

James Beard took notice of this ham back in 1975. His recognition helped put Princeton, Kentucky, on the map for serious food lovers.

The praise didn’t stop there. The New York Times, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Bon Appetit, and Saveur have all featured the business.

Esquire and Fine Cooking joined the list too. TV viewers may also recognize the family from the series Mind of a Chef.

Senator Rand Paul formally recognized the business in the United States Congressional Record. He honored its history, service, and dedication to Kentucky tradition.

That’s a pretty wild résumé for a general store. Most small shops are thrilled with a mention in the local paper.

I believe the attention comes down to consistency. The Newsom family kept doing things the slow way while the rest of the food world sped up.

Chefs and writers tend to notice when something tastes rooted in a real place. Col.

Bill Newsom’s Aged Kentucky Country Ham has that rooted quality in every slice.

Still, reading about it is fun, but tasting it is better. A stack of glowing articles can only do so much for an empty stomach.

Plan Your Visit Around These Hours On Main Street

Downtown Princeton is where the magic happens.

The store sits at the exact spot where H.C. Newsom opened his shop in 1917.

Few addresses carry that much ham history.

Hours run Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.

Saturday hours are shorter, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sundays are closed, so weekend road-trippers should aim for Saturday morning. Showing up at 1:55 on a Saturday is a risky strategy.

Princeton sits in Caldwell County in western Kentucky. That’s the same county where the Newsom family settled back in 1823.

The store has a poplar floor described as creaking like an ancient symphony. Old wood with that much personality deserves a slow stroll.

The whole place is known for that stepping-back-in-time feeling. Old-fashioned hospitality and small-town charm come with the shopping.

Give yourself enough time to browse without rushing. A general store this full of history rewards curious, unhurried shoppers.

Can’t make the drive? Hams and other goods can be ordered for shipping, so distance doesn’t have to stop you.

Still, nothing beats seeing the shelves in person. Leave room in the car for whatever you didn’t plan to buy.

Gardeners And Sweet Tooths Get Their Own Treats Too

Ham gets the headlines, but the general store side runs deep. Bulk garden seed, plants, and produce are part of the mix here.

That’s a throwback to the days when the local store supplied a little bit of everything. Farmers and backyard growers alike can find something useful.

Candy fans have reasons to smile, too. Creamed pull candy is one of the old-fashioned sweets on offer.

Cookbooks fill another niche, including titles from Amish cooks and others. They’re a great way to learn the country dishes that pair with everything on the shelves.

I like how this mix makes the store feel useful, not just pretty. You can grab garden seed and a sweet treat for the drive in one stop.

It also explains the general store label so well. Newsom’s Old Mill Store still carries the everyday spirit H.C.

Newsom started over a century ago.

A ham that impressed Spain shares space with seed and candy. Only in a small Kentucky town could that combination feel completely normal.

Before leaving, take one more lap around the store. Something sweet, savory, or green is probably waiting to sneak into your basket.