Hershey, PA

Since we have two weeks before our next project starts, we decided to stay in Pennsylvania for a week and do some sight-seeing. There is a Thousand Trails campground just outside Hershey, so we stayed there for a week.
Our site was very nice,

and the geese kept us entertained while we were there.



We started our sightseeing at the Hershey Chocolate World


First we took the trolley tour, which we found VERY informative about Milton Hershey.


He was born near where he built the factory, in this house, when only the center, brick part existed. His great grandparents built it in 1826 on 350 acres.

His father later lost the house to auction for taxes, but Milton later purchased it back and the president of the Hershey schools lives there now, and some activity was going on when we drove by.

This was the house (High Point) he built in 1908, and lived in until he died in 1945. It overlooked the factory.


Many of the mansions in town were built for his upper management and are still owned by the company. This one was occupied by Mr. Wm. Murrie, president of Hershey’s Chocolate.

His son, Bruce, was one of the M’s of the candy, M&M. Mr. Mars, the other M, received a patent for his own process in 1941. There was an arrangement that allowed M&M candies to be made with Hershey chocolate, which had control of the rationed chocolate.

Hershey was successful, after many failures, with caramel candies. He started with chocolate in 1895 to cover the caramels, and was selling the chocolate to other confectioners. He then sold his caramel candy company for a million dollars (in 1900!) and began to focus on the chocolate. He was the first American to develop milk chocolate, introducing the milk chocolate bar in 1900. He first developed Hershey’s Kisses in 1907.
He built his factory in 1903


Before his factory was complete, he set up a transit trolley system, and right
after the factory was built, in 1905, had a community center built to provide store, post office, boarding house and lunchroom. He also provided laundry, blacksmith, cafe and barber shop, and a department store.
He constructed homes for employees, but wanted them to look individual, not a typical “company” house. Our guide told us he sold them to employees, charging no interest.


Because he knew the workers needed recreation, he planned a park in 1910 to include playground, band shell for concerts, swimming pool, a zoo and a bowling alley.
Today, the amusement park, Hershey Park, is 110 acres, with 60 rides, including 10 roller coasters.

He added a Hotel in the 1930’s, employing workers during the depression.


Also during the depression, in 1933, he built a new community center, six stories tall with indoor swimming, a gymnasium, library, hospital, and theater. Later it became a Junior college until 1965, and now is used as offices for Hershey.
In 1909, he set up a boarding school for orphan boys, located at his birthplace. He created the Milton Hershey School Trust and endowed it with 486 acres. The initial enrollment was 10 students. Now students live in homes with dorm parents (who have their own attached apartment). It now allows enrollment of girls as well, and provides free K-12 education to 1800 students, on 9,000 acre campus. Focus was on industrial arts at first, but now encourages college, giving $80,000 scholarships to qualifying students. None of his schools get any government funding at all.
Industrial arts are still available in the original school which is now the middle school.


The town itself even has Hershey Kisses as light covers.


We then took a simulated tour of the plant.










We learned a lot there as well! The building has a 3D film we watched, lots of shops, and other candy related activities, so you can spend a LOT of time (and money!) there.



It was a fun, informative day.

Back to Gettysburg

We decided to stay at Rhodes Grove for a couple of days after the project was complete, and were able to go back to Gettysburg (yes, again, for the fourth time!) to complete our visit there.

President Eisenhower’s farm is adjacent to the battleground and the only home he and Mamie owned. While there it POURED down rain! He raised Black Angus, developing them into a better breed.



We were able to take picture inside, without a flash. It looked like they were still living in the home.
Living room,

bedrooms,


kitchen,

favorite room (the enclosed porch),

and study.


We did not get to tour the rest of the farm, since the paths were really muddy and had turned into rivers!! The land is so saturated from hurricanes Irene and especially Lee, the water just flows.
On the way back to the visitor center, the bus driver opted not to try to ford the road
This is the view out the front of the bus,

and this is out the side of the bus!

and backed up about 1/4 mile. I got a great picture of the back of the home though!


For lunch we wanted to eat at the Springhouse Tavern, located in the basement of the historical Dobbin’s House, one of the first buildings in Gettysburg.



But we had to wait for about a half hour while they mopped up 6 inches of water that came in when the spring overflowed during the downpour.
It was worth the wait, and it really was a unique place.


The spring is just to the right of the rock wall in this picture.

We were able to look into it through a small window in a locked door.


and followed the stairs up to where they used to hide runaway slaves!



We also took the opportunity to visit the National Cemetery that we were too tired to see on our previous visit.



More monuments, including this one honoring Lincoln



and this monument to the New Yorkers who were in the battle, which is on the site where Abraham Lincoln gave his famous address.


On the way back, we passed this covered bridge, built in 1852, and used by both confederate and union soldiers.




The river below it was really high


We also passed “Pumpkin trees”,


Caledonia State Park, with the furnace

and blacksmith shop.


And a unique barn with antique advertising.


And Paul had some fun “taking care of business” in the RV.

First, repairing the washer/dryer combo....a job in itself getting it out of the closet! The part arrived, but not installed yet!


During one of the storms, the television was hit by lightening, so that was another challenge, to get it out of the box.

He wasn’t too upset, since it meant getting a new, larger screen! He will be doing some remodeling when we get home!

Next month, the first Friday is later in the month, giving us two weeks between projects. We plan to spend a few more days in Pennsylvania, to the northeast of here, before moving out of the state, and on to New Hampshire!