The Pennsylvania town where the air smells like chocolate, with street lamps shaped like Hershey’s Kisses

Hershey, Pennsylvania

Milton Hershey broke ground for his chocolate factory in Derry Church, Pennsylvania, in 1903. This rural area held just 700 residents when the first shovel hit dirt. The factory transformed everything.

Smokestacks rose where farm fields once stretched. Production lines started churning out chocolate bars in 1905. The population swelled to 1,500 by 1920. Homes and shops replaced cornfields as workers and their families settled in what became known simply as Hershey.

The town never incorporated. It remains part of Derry Township to this day, without its own government or mayor.

Milton Hershey’s Early Years

Milton Snavely Hershey entered the world on September 13, 1857, in a fieldstone farmhouse near Derry Church. His schooling ended after fourth grade, cut short by family financial struggles.

At 14, he began working for Lancaster candy maker Joseph Royer. For four years, he mixed sugar, cooked syrup, and learned how to transform raw ingredients into sellable sweets.

His first candy shop in Philadelphia failed within six years. So did his second attempt in New York. Each failure taught him something new about business and candy-making. In Denver, he discovered the secret that would change everything—using fresh milk to make caramels.

This technique produced softer, more flavorful candies that customers loved.

The Lancaster Caramel Company

Hershey returned to Lancaster in 1883 and started over with just $150 borrowed from his aunt. He sold caramels from a pushcart before opening a small shop. Word spread about his milk caramels. Orders poured in faster than he could fill them.

By the 1890s, his Lancaster Caramel Company employed 1,300 workers in two factories. In 1893, Hershey attended the Chicago World’s Fair. The German chocolate-making equipment on display captivated him more than any other exhibit.

He purchased the machinery immediately and installed it in his Lancaster plant. While still making caramels, he began experimenting with chocolate coatings and bars. When an English buyer offered $1 million for the caramel company in 1900, Hershey sold.

He kept only the chocolate equipment and his experimental recipes.

Birth of the Hershey Chocolate Company

Hershey spent three years working on a milk chocolate formula that wouldn’t spoil. European makers guarded their secrets, forcing him to develop his own method through trial and error.

He chose Derry Church for his new factory because of the abundant milk supply from local dairy farms. Fresh milk formed the foundation of his chocolate recipe. The first Hershey bars hit the market in 1900, wrapped in paper sleeves with the Hershey name.

His distinctive Kisses followed in 1907, initially wrapped by hand. Before Hershey, Americans rarely ate milk chocolate. Swiss imports cost too much for ordinary people. His factory changed that, making chocolate an affordable treat for everyone.

When the main factory opened in 1905, it covered six acres. Workers poured in from surrounding counties, drawn by steady wages and the promise of a better life.

Building a Model Town

Hershey wanted more than a factory—he wanted a community. He rejected the crowded row houses common in other company towns. He built single and two-family brick homes with yards and gardens.

Tree-lined streets followed the natural contours of the land rather than rigid grid patterns. A public trolley system opened in 1908, connecting the town to neighboring communities. Workers could travel for just a few cents, giving them freedom other company town residents lacked.

He constructed schools, stores, banks, and a department store. Children of factory workers attended modern schools with the latest equipment and qualified teachers. In 1906, he created Hershey Park as a place for recreation.

Workers and families picnicked beside Spring Creek, rowed boats on the lake, and gathered for band concerts on summer evenings.

The Milton Hershey School

Catherine and Milton Hershey signed a deed on November 15, 1909, establishing a school for orphan boys. The childless couple wanted to give boys without fathers a chance at a better life.

The first four students moved into the Homestead—Milton’s birthplace—in September 1910. They lived, studied, and worked on the farm under the supervision of a house father and mother.

Catherine died in 1915 from an illness that had troubled her for years. Her death deepened Milton’s commitment to the school that bore both their names.

In 1918, during World War I, Hershey made a decision that stunned the business world. He transferred his entire fortune—$60 million in company stock—to the school trust. He kept this move secret for years.

When word finally leaked in 1923, people couldn’t believe a businessman would give away his entire company.

Great Building Campaign During Depression

When the stock market crashed in 1929, Hershey refused to lay off workers. Instead, he launched a building campaign that employed hundreds of men who would otherwise have stood in bread lines.

Between 1930 and 1936, he spent more than $10 million building structures that still stand today. Workers earned steady paychecks while creating landmarks that transformed the town.

The Hotel Hershey rose on a hill overlooking the town in 1933. Construction crews built it entirely by hand during the depths of the Depression, using picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows.

The community building, sports arena, and theater followed. Each project kept more men employed through the economic crisis that devastated other towns. Not everything went smoothly.

In 1937, factory workers demanding better pay went on strike. Violence erupted when some strikers faced beatings from company loyalists.

Growth of Hersheypark

Hershey Park began with just a bandstand and picnic pavilions in 1906. Visitors brought food baskets and spent afternoons beside Spring Creek, enjoying simple pleasures.

The Wild Cat roller coaster arrived in 1923, marking the park’s transition from picnic grounds to amusement center. Thrillseekers lined up for the wooden coaster’s steep drops and sharp turns.

After 23 years of thrilling riders, the Wild Cat came down in 1946. The Comet replaced it, featuring a 96-foot drop that made riders scream with delight. The park’s name officially changed to “Hersheypark” in 1970, coinciding with a five-year redevelopment plan.

The space between the words disappeared, symbolizing its evolution into a true theme park. In 1971, management scrapped the ticket-per-ride system. Visitors now paid one price for unlimited rides, following the model pioneered by Disneyland.

The sooperdooperLooper debuted in 1977, becoming the first looping roller coaster on the East Coast. Lines stretched for hours as thrill-seekers waited to experience going upside down for the first time.

Evolution of the Milton Hershey School

Milton Hershey changed the school’s admission rules in 1933, expanding eligibility to boys between 4 and 14 years old. The new guidelines accepted children with either parent deceased, not just fatherless boys.

In 1934, on the school’s 25th anniversary, a new Junior-Senior High School opened on Pat’s Hill. The building featured state-of-the-art classrooms and vocational shops where boys learned trades.

Girls joined the student body in the 1970s, ending the all-male tradition. The same decade saw racial restrictions fall, opening the school to children of all backgrounds.

Today, more than 2,000 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade live and learn at the school. They come from families facing financial hardship across the United States.

The school trust holds assets worth approximately $17.4 billion. Much of this wealth comes from controlling interest in The Hershey Company, making it one of America’s wealthiest educational institutions.

In 2020, the school announced a $350 million investment in early childhood education centers. The Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning now serve children from birth to age five from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Hershey’s Modern Attractions

Hershey’s Chocolate World opened next to the amusement park in 1973. The centerpiece attraction takes visitors through a simulated chocolate factory, complete with singing cows and the unmistakable smell of cocoa.

Hersheypark now boasts 15 roller coasters, more than any other park in the Northeast. The collection ranges from kid-friendly rides to intense thrill machines reaching speeds over 70 mph. ZooAmerica spans 11 acres adjacent to the park, housing more than 200 animals native to North America.

Visitors cross a bridge from Hersheypark to explore five geographic regions from the desert to the northlands. The Hershey Theatre stands as a Depression-era masterpiece, built between 1929 and 1933.

The ornate interior features Spanish and Italian motifs, with a ceiling that mimics a night sky complete with twinkling stars. High Point Mansion, once home to Milton and Catherine Hershey, opens its doors for public tours.

Visitors see the rooms where the chocolate magnate lived and entertained guests during the height of his success.

The Hershey Legacy

Milton Hershey contracted pneumonia in October 1945. He died at the Hershey Hospital on October 13, just weeks after his 88th birthday. His body rests in the Hershey Cemetery beside his beloved wife Catherine.

The simple headstone belies the enormous impact he had on American business and philanthropy. His most enduring achievement remains the school trust. By placing his fortune in a trust that owned the chocolate company, he ensured that children would benefit from his wealth forever.

The trust funded the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, which opened in 1963. The teaching hospital extended the Hershey legacy into healthcare and medical education.

Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, established in 1927, continues to operate the recreational properties in town. This separate entity manages the hotel, park, and entertainment venues.

In 1995, the U.S. Postal Service recognized Hershey’s contributions by issuing a 32-cent stamp bearing his image. The stamp honored him as part of the Great Americans series.

Visiting Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey sits in central Pennsylvania, 15 miles east of Harrisburg. Hersheypark opens daily from May through September, with weekend hours in spring and fall.

Admission includes all rides and the water park, and Hershey’s Chocolate World offers free factory tour rides year-round. Paid experiences include chocolate tasting, 4D shows, and create-your-own candy bars.

The Hotel Hershey and Hershey Lodge provide on-site accommodations with park packages. If you’re looking for budget options, consider Hersheypark Camping Resort and nearby chain hotels.

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