In early 2020, writers with Dandelion Media approached The M.S. Hershey Foundation and Milton Hershey School with a screenplay about the life of Milton S. Hershey, seeking feedback and collaboration. The writers asked for help filling in the details about Milton and Kitty Hershey’s incredible life, but were clear that they didn’t want to create a documentary.
When any historic building is renovated, there is a delicate balance between preservation and functionality. The challenge is to maintain the building’s historic character while adapting to modern demands. That’s where The M.S. Hershey Foundation’s team of curators and archivists comes in.
One of the most enduring legacies of Milton and Catherine Hershey is their unwavering belief in the transformative power of education. Through this commitment, they have enriched the lives of countless students and set a powerful example of how philanthropy can foster opportunity and create a lasting impact on future generations.
For over 70 years, Hershey resisted advertising their products on radio and television. Yet, you may recall watching the iconic Hershey’s Kisses chocolates wrapped in red and green foil ringing to the tune of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” or the popular, “Hey! You got chocolate in my peanut butter…” Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups commercials. So what changed?
You never know what email will land in your inbox. For Senior Archivist Jennifer Henderson, one day in May yielded extraordinary results.
This year marks the 90th anniversary of a true Hershey landmark: The Hotel Hershey. The grand opening celebration for Milton Hershey’s “Crown Jewel” took place Friday, May 26, 1933 in conjunction with the town’s 30th anniversary celebration.
Clayton Lehman, by all accounts, was a hard-working, simple man. Lehman was tall and lanky with brown hair, gray eyes and a friendly smile. Born in Lawn, Lebanon County, PA in 1886 and raised on a farm, Lehman was used to hard work at a young age.
One of the essential positions in Milton and Catherine Hershey’s new home was the butler. They hired Joseph Wells, a young Black man from Prince George’s County, Maryland for the role. It was common practice for wealthy families in the early 20th century to employ people of color as domestic staff.
Of the many many people who worked at High Point, Bertha Candoni was the longest serving with over 25 years. However, very little is known about Mrs. Candoni’s life prior to her employment with the Hersheys. She was born Heinricke Caroline Bertha Valet in Ulm, Germany in 1853.
British horticulturalist Gertrude Jekyll once said, “The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.” For longtime gardener Dick Wood, those words certainly rang true.
Milton Hershey didn’t just build a town. He built a community. As part of his commitment to the community, in 1935 Mr. Hershey established the non-profit M.S. Hershey Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to provide cultural and educational opportunities for residents andvisitors of Derry Township.
On August 23, 2019, descendants of James B. Leithiser donated his portrait to The Hershey Story Museum. The Leithiser name may sound familiar to Hershey residents because he built one of the mansions on East Chocolate Avenue. But who was this man and what was his connection to Milton S. Hershey?
Everyone has heard about Milton Hershey, his delicious chocolate, his model industrial community and his philanthropy, but few know what Milton Hershey was like as a person. Now, The Hershey Story Museum has enhanced the Museum Experience with additional technology to help guests discover more about America’s most prolific chocolate maker.
When Milton and Catherine Hershey established the Milton Hershey School in 1909 (then the Hershey Industrial School), the School’s trust fund was endowed with 486 acres of farmland, including the Homestead, Milton Hershey’s birthplace. The Homestead served as both home and classroom to the first students.
Did you know that Milton Hershey built another model town in Cuba? The town, also named Hershey, supported a sugar mill and refinery rather than a chocolate factory. After all, sugar is an essential ingredient in Hershey’s Milk Chocolate.
Meet the women who nurtured, supported and even financed Milton Hershey’s early efforts to establish a successful candy business. While Mr. Hershey is lauded and admired for his business acumen and his generous philanthropy, his success would not have been possible without the women in his life: his mother, Fanny Snavely Hershey; his aunt, Martha “Mattie” Snavely; and his wife, Catherine “Kitty” Sweeney Hershey.
The Hershey Story Museum tells the history of making Hershey’s milk chocolate and uses artifacts from the original factory whenever possible. But what do you do when the real artifact weighs 20,000 pounds and is more than 10 feet tall?
Hershey Gardens is always humming with eager anticipation in the spring – but this year brings a new level of excitement as specialists, professionals and staff members prepare the new Conservatory for opening.
Hershey Community Archives recently acquired a passport that belonged to Milton Hershey. This passport documented his travel throughout Western Europe in 1924. Bob Pugliese, the nephew of Catharine Oslansky Pugliese, donated the passport to the Archives.
A rare crystal torchère that Milton Hershey once owned has returned to The Hershey Story after a one-year absence. Created for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where Milton Hershey purchased his first chocolate-making equipment, the towering floor lamp has recently been retrofitted with 30 LED lights and is lit for the first time in more than six years.
A semi-annual publication of The M.S. Hershey Foundation, The Legacy newsletter features news and events from Hershey Gardens, The Hershey Story, Hershey Theatre, and Hershey Community Archives. The Legacy is made possible in part through a general operating support grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
