Milton Snavely Hershey
The HomeStead
Milton Snavely Hershey was born a few years
before the Civil War in Derry Township, Pennsylvania in the family home called the HomeStead. He was raised by his Mennonite parents on the family farm. Milton’s grandparents, Issac and Anna Hershey bought the land and the stone house where Milton was born. The HomeStead is also the place where Milton perfected his chocolate formula. It has been used for many purposes since then. One of the purposes was the home and school of the first students of the Industrial School. It then became a central office and residence of key administrators for the company. In 1952, it became a duplex for a residence. Today, the HomeStead is there in its original place and is a special place for visiting alumni and families of the students in the Milton Hershey School (Milton Hershey School, 2011). The Hershey family moved around a lot due to his father’s jobs in the pursuit of financial success (Bozich, 2009). Hershey only completed eight formal years of education, never moving beyond the fourth grade. In 1871, Hershey was an apprentice at a local printer who published a German-English newspaper. He thenwas an apprentice to a confectioner named Joseph Royer in Lancaster, PA (Odesser-Trophy, 2006). After working with Royer in Lancaster Hershey tried to start up his own candy company, where two of them failed in New York City and in Philadelphia (Bozich, 2009). He tried to start his first company when he was 18 years old with borrowed money from his aunt. Once those two companies failed Hershey went to Denver, CO to try mining with his father. Mining was not for him so he found a job with a Denver confectioner who taught him how to make caramels. The confectioner he worked with used fresh milk in his caramels. This process was not common at the time. Chocolate and caramels at the time were made with paraffin instead of milk (Odesser-Trophy, 2006). Hershey found that adding milk to the caramels made it creamier, chewier, and provided a longer shelf-life. Hershey tried to create a caramel company in New York City, but it once again failed ( Odesser-Trophy, 2006). Hershey, with no more money, then traveled back to Lancaster, PA and where he started his caramel company called Lancaster Caramel Company in 1886. By 1894, Milton Hershey was one of Lancaster’s wealthiest men (Bozich, 2009). The Lancaster Caramel Company created jobs for 1,400 people. A British candy importer agreed to market Hershey’s caramels abroad which secured him bank financing for expansion. Chocolate came into Milton Hershey’s life in 1893 when he visited the Columbian Exposition in Chicago where he purchased German machinery to produce chocolate coatings for his caramels. Hershey started selling the chocolate by itself, thus the Hershey Company is born (Odesser-Trophy, 2006).
before the Civil War in Derry Township, Pennsylvania in the family home called the HomeStead. He was raised by his Mennonite parents on the family farm. Milton’s grandparents, Issac and Anna Hershey bought the land and the stone house where Milton was born. The HomeStead is also the place where Milton perfected his chocolate formula. It has been used for many purposes since then. One of the purposes was the home and school of the first students of the Industrial School. It then became a central office and residence of key administrators for the company. In 1952, it became a duplex for a residence. Today, the HomeStead is there in its original place and is a special place for visiting alumni and families of the students in the Milton Hershey School (Milton Hershey School, 2011). The Hershey family moved around a lot due to his father’s jobs in the pursuit of financial success (Bozich, 2009). Hershey only completed eight formal years of education, never moving beyond the fourth grade. In 1871, Hershey was an apprentice at a local printer who published a German-English newspaper. He thenwas an apprentice to a confectioner named Joseph Royer in Lancaster, PA (Odesser-Trophy, 2006). After working with Royer in Lancaster Hershey tried to start up his own candy company, where two of them failed in New York City and in Philadelphia (Bozich, 2009). He tried to start his first company when he was 18 years old with borrowed money from his aunt. Once those two companies failed Hershey went to Denver, CO to try mining with his father. Mining was not for him so he found a job with a Denver confectioner who taught him how to make caramels. The confectioner he worked with used fresh milk in his caramels. This process was not common at the time. Chocolate and caramels at the time were made with paraffin instead of milk (Odesser-Trophy, 2006). Hershey found that adding milk to the caramels made it creamier, chewier, and provided a longer shelf-life. Hershey tried to create a caramel company in New York City, but it once again failed ( Odesser-Trophy, 2006). Hershey, with no more money, then traveled back to Lancaster, PA and where he started his caramel company called Lancaster Caramel Company in 1886. By 1894, Milton Hershey was one of Lancaster’s wealthiest men (Bozich, 2009). The Lancaster Caramel Company created jobs for 1,400 people. A British candy importer agreed to market Hershey’s caramels abroad which secured him bank financing for expansion. Chocolate came into Milton Hershey’s life in 1893 when he visited the Columbian Exposition in Chicago where he purchased German machinery to produce chocolate coatings for his caramels. Hershey started selling the chocolate by itself, thus the Hershey Company is born (Odesser-Trophy, 2006).
Milton Hershey & Kitty Sweeny
In 1897, Milton Hershey met Catherine “Kitty” Elizabeth Sweeny in New York (Hershey Community Archives). At age 40, Milton Hershey married Kitty Sweeny. They built a house overlooking the factory from a hill that was named High Point in 1908 (Odesser-Trophy, 2006). Kitty and Milton were not able to have kids of their own, so they created a school and home for young orphan boys. In 1909, the Hershey Industrial School was opened for 10 kids (Odesser-Trophy, 2006). After Kitty died Hershey donated almost his entire personal fortune to the Hershey Trust Company to administer the Industrial School (The Hershey Company). The first 10 white orphan boys that were enrolled in the Industrial School lived and went to school in the HomeStead, Milton Hershey’s birthplace (Hershey Entertainment & Resorts). In 1951, the Industrial School was renamed Milton Hershey School. The Hershey Trust Company is the largest shareholder in the town which makes the school the largest beneficiary of the Hershey Company (The Hershey Company).