by The Hershey Story Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania is devoted to the legacy of Milton S. Hershey, as opposed to Hershey’s Chocolate World, which is devoted to chaos and taking your money chocolate. Both fall under the umbrella of the Hershey Trust Company, but they’re very different experiences.
Milton Snavely Hershey was born in 1857 in Derry Township, Pennsylvania, right where he would later go on to create the town that bears his name. He only attended school through the fourth grade, before being miserably apprenticed to a printer. When that failed, he was apprenticed to a confectioner in Lancaster for four years, whereafter he set out on his own.
Hershey moved around a bit – Philadelphia, Denver, New Orleans, Chicago, New York – dabbling in different ideas, starting businesses and looking for opportunities. Along the way he learned to make caramels using fresh milk, and he eventually returned to Lancaster in 1883, where he started the Lancaster Caramel Company.
Finally, he had a success on his hands! By the early 1890s he had 1,300 workers.
Yet, Hershey suspected caramels were a fad, and but he felt that chocolate would endure. He sold the caramel company for $1 million dollars and started the Hershey Chocolate Company instead.
Previously, milk chocolate was a luxury item, but Hershey began mass-production of his own formula. His first bars were sold in 1900, and were an immediate success, followed by Hershey Kisses in 1907. He was soon building his own corporate town.
Hershey wanted more than just a factory, he wanted a community. Homes, churches, transportation, businesses, and entertainment were all part of the town he created.
Though happily married to Catherine Sweeney, the couple did not have any children. They created a boarding school and established a trust to maintain it. It was originally for local orphans (white males, naturally), but has since grown to serve more children in need. Around 2,000 students are enrolled in K-12 currently, all of them on full scholarships. It’s quite a legacy, and one I’m surprised is not shouted from the rooftops.
The Hershey Trust has control of the Hershey Corporation and the many businesses and properties within, such as Hotel Hershey, Hershey Gardens, and Hersheypark. The Trust is one of the largest in the country today, and has made many charitable contributions over the years. I had no idea!
Catherine was ill over many years of their marriage. Though the exact nature of her sickness is unknown, multiple sclerosis is one modern theory. She was just 42 years old when she died in 1915, and Milton survived her by another 30 years, never remarrying.
The museum, which opened in 2009, shows how Hershey tried, failed, and tried again, and even declared bankruptcy at one point. It highlights the chocolate making process, marketing, the many varied products they had over the years, and the town of Hershey itself.
There’s also an exhibit on the town of Hershey, Cuba. That’s right, he created another town to support the growing of the sugarcane he needed to support his chocolate production. The plant and village were sold in 1948, after Hershey died.
We also purchased tickets to tour High Point Mansion, the 22-room home of the Hersheys. The couple moved into the home in 1908, which featured an open floor plan on the first floor, and lots of beautiful stained glass. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside. The home was subsequently used as administrative offices for the Trust (which still uses part of the structure for offices) and as a country club clubhouse, so many alterations were made to it over the years.
The Museum offers a chocolate lab experience (at an additional cost, naturally) where you can create your own chocolate bar, but we didn’t try this experience.
One fun experience we did purchase was the “Chocolate Flight,” six different hot chocolates from around the world, with decreasing cacao contents. It was fun to try to guess the aroma and flavor before reading the flavor notes (Doug was quite good at this, a skill he attributes to all of the craft beer tastings he has partaken in over the years).
Pictured from the top left are Tanzania (75% cacao), Dominican Republic (70%), Mexico (66%), Ghana (40%), Peru (39%) and Hershey (33%). They were all good, but the Tanzania one was close to drinking baking chocolate; I’d say the Peru one was probably my favorite.
A tea set and goblets used by the Hershey’s at High Point were on display in the museum.
