More Than Just a Candy Bar: The Legacy of Milton Hershey
Several weeks ago, my husband and I visited Hershey, Pennsylvania. Yes, it is the home of the famous Hershey chocolate factory, with its two stacks reaching into the sky. Once upon a time, a person could actually go into the factory and have a tour of the gadgets and paraphernalia that created the world famous treats. My grandparents took my brother and me when we were really young. My greatest memory of the place was the overpowering aroma of chocolate. Even as a child, when we left, I didn’t want to eat any chocolate for a while. I did not realize until my recent visit that there was so much more to the legacy of Milton Hershey than just a candy bar.
Who Was Milton Hershey?
Milton Snavely Hershey, was born in Derry Township, Pennsylvania in 1857. His career in the confectionery business began when he was apprenticed to a local company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. No one at the time could have dreamed of the sweet relationship that would be struck between Milton Hershey and the world.
Hershey was a determined entrepreneur who worked persistently to overcome early failures. Hershey opened his first candy business on June 1, 1876, at the age of eighteen. This confectionery shop produced and sold candies, nuts, and baked goods. Although initial sales were good, credit issues led to the factory’s closure. Hershey tried again in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York, but his efforts did not pay off.
By the age of 26, Hershey was penniless, but unwilling to quit. He founded the Lancaster Caramel Co. in 1886, which became extremely profitable. But Hershey became convinced that, looking forward, the greatest product he could invest in was chocolate. He visited the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition where he purchased equipment to experiment with chocolate-making. In 1896, he built a milk-processing plant to develop his milk chocolate recipe, and by 1900, he sold the caramel company for a million dollars so he could concentrate solely on chocolate.
Established as a subsidiary of the caramel company, the Hershey Chocolate Co. went on to achieve international success. He became known for creating affordable, mass-produced milk chocolate. In 1903, the Hershey Chocolate factory was built in Hershey’s home town of Derry Church which was eventually renamed Hershey, Pennsylvania.
A Couple Who Created a Way of Life
Milton Hershey, however, was not all work. In 1898, he surprised everyone by marrying a woman with whom he seemed to have nothing in common. Here is their story:
Catherine [Kitty] “arrived with an elaborate trousseau from Fox Sisters of New York. one of the most exclusive dress-making establishments in the United States.’ A young neighbor girl remembers trying to catch a glimpse of Kitty through the fence of the yard and thinking Kitty was the ‘most beautiful lady I had ever seen.’ Milton brought his young bride fresh flowers every day and she affectionately called him, ‘my little Dutchman.’ Kitty enjoyed their Lancaster home that featured lovely gardens.
“While Milton was busy perfecting his milk chocolate formula, Kitty visited him, watched the experiments, walked about the farm, and chatted with the girls in the kitchen. While their home, High Point Mansion, was being built, Kitty kept busy by creating the same lovely gardens she enjoyed in Lancaster.” The couple, unfortunately, never had children.
The Hersheys’ ambitions did not end at a candy company and an exquisite home.. They set out to establish the town around the chocolate factory with the intent to create a model community for their employees. This community included affordable housing, a school system, a trolly system, and recreational facilities for his employees and their families. He wanted the people who worked for him to be able to live and raise their families in a wholesome environment.
“After building and decorating High Point Mansion, both Kitty and Milton spent a great deal of time and attention planning the Hershey Industrial School. Milton worked with Attorney John Snyder and Superintendant George Copenhaver and Kitty collaborated with Prudence Copenhaver about the daily life of the School. The Hersheys were adamant that their creation be both a home and school and the students live in a nurturing environment. Milton credited the vision for the School to be Kitty’s idea and commented in a 1923 New York Times article, ‘My wife and I decided that we ought to do this…It was hers and mine.’
Sadly, Kitty was plagued by a disease of the nervous system that robbed her of balance and mobility. “Her illness cast a shadow on their lives. When Milton observed Kitty struggling to use a knife and fork at dinner for the first time, tears were seen rolling down his cheeks. Kitty’s spirit was not dampened by her illness and she bravely lived life to the fullest. Perhaps the greatest illustration of her love for Milton throughout her life is seen at the end. While gravely ill in Philadelphia, Milton arrived at her side and asked if there was anything he could do for her. She requested a glass of champagne and he went out to fulfill her wish. When he returned, Kitty was gone. Although he was grief-stricken, one could believe that by sending Milton on the errand, Kitty spared her beloved husband from saying a final good-bye. Without his wife by his side, Milton Hershey devoted his life and the bulk of his fortune to the Hershey Industrial School. In a 1924 article in McClures magazine, he explained, ‘Now I am more interested than ever in maintaining and improving the morale and efficiency of all my companies. I want to devote the rest of my life to that end, for the school.’”
Milton and Catherine “held a strong and unwavering concern for the growth, development, and education of all children, especially those less fortunate.” Following the death of Catherine, Milton Hershey donated virtually his entire personal fortune to The Hershey Trust Company to administer, support, and fund Milton Hershey School. The Hershey School helped many impoverished children to gain an education and a great advantage in life.
“Throughout his life, Milton Hershey remembered Kitty as the brave, young girl who taught him to laugh. He moved her rose gardens to the Hershey Gardens, and in his later years had his nurse and chauffeur drive him to the gardens to spend time with Kitty’s roses.” I visited those very gardens while in Hershey!
(— Stories about Milton and Catherine Hershey are from interviews recorded by Dr. Paul A.W. Wallace for Milton Hershey School in the 1950s.)
Hershey Today
The Milton Hershey School, founded in 1909 to provide a school and home for orphaned boys continues to this day. It remains a place where students can “become their best selves with all costs covered.” It sounds too good to be true, but sometimes with hard work and good hearts, dreams do come true.
When you visit Hershey, Pennsylvania these days, you might enjoy a stroll through the botanical gardens and the butterfly arboretum; you might get adventurous and ride roller coasters at Hersheypark; you might visit animals in the zoo; you might stroll through the lovely town under streetlights shaped like Hershey Kisses (even bearing the iconic ‘paper’ tag); you might even go to a chocolate tasting or make your own chocolate bar in the Hershey Story Museum; but while you do all the “things,” don’t forget the couple who made it all possible. I believe even they would be astounded at all that bears their name. And the next time you enjoy a Hershey’s chocolate bar, take a moment to remember the man and woman who inspired a town and gave so much to others.
God bless you and give you “sweet” moments.
P.S. Just in case you were wondering if Hershey was a man of faith: He was raised in a Mennonite home, but did not practice strict religion. He is said to have claimed, “The Golden Rule is my religion.” God sees the heart, y’all.
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