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Published: September 28th 2019
The drive from Quaker Woods Campground in Quakertown PA to Elizabethtown/Hershey KOA in Elizabethtown PA on SUNDAY, August 4, 2019 was just under 100 miles and just under two hours, according to GoogleMaps, and was uneventful. My regular readers know that I enjoy visiting state capitals and all that usually accompanies them, including the state history museum and the state Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They also know that I usually travel on Wednesdays but occasionally two consecutive stops deserve more that one week but not really two weeks; however, like Baby Bear, a week and a half, “Is just right!” Such was the case with Quakertown (nearby capital, Trenton NJ) and Elizabethtown (nearby capital, Harrisburg PA). For some reason that still puzzles me, my first order of business on Monday, August 5, 2019 was a stop at
The Hershey Museumin Hershey PA. I guess a candy bar named after a town or a town named after a famous entrepreneur or a famous entrepreneur named after a candy bar – just how many iterations are there, anyway? – intrigued me. Maybe I was just hungry!
So, just who was this Milton Snavely Hershey? Hershey (1857–1945) was born in central Pennsylvania to a dreamer father
who never had the perseverance to succeed at his ventures and a hardworking, no nonsense mother, the daughter of a Mennonite clergyman. By the time Hershey was 10, his mother had grown tired of her husband's failures and his father was, for the most part, out of the family picture. With Hershey's upbringing left to her, his mother instilled an appreciation for hard work in her son. By the age of 14, Hershey had begun apprenticing with a master confectioner in Lancaster PA. Four years later, Hershey borrowed $150 from his aunt and set up his own candy shop in the heart of Philadelphia. For five years, Hershey poured his heart into the business, but success eluded him. Finally, he closed the shop and headed to Denver CO, where he found work with a confectioner and reunited with his father. It was there that he discovered caramel and how fresh milk could be used to make it. The entrepreneur in Hershey wasn't content to work for someone else, and he struck out on his own again but failed, first in Chicago and then in New York City. In 1883, he returned to Lancaster and, still convinced he could build a
successful candy company, started the Lancaster Caramel Company.
Success followed, and by 1894 Hershey had a thriving business employing 1300 workers and was shipping his caramels all over the country. At the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, Hershey got an up-close look at the art of chocolate-making. He was immediately hooked. While his caramel business boomed, Hershey started the Hershey Chocolate Company. He quickly became focused on milk chocolate; considered a delicacy and, largely, the domain of the Swiss; and was determined to find a new formula that would allow him to mass-produce and mass-distribute milk chocolate candy. In 1900, he sold the Lancaster Caramel Company for the healthy sum of $1 million. Three years later, and before he had begun any semblance of production, he began construction on a new, modern candy-making factory. It opened in 1905, setting a new course for Hershey and the candy industry. The success of the Hershey Chocolate Company quickly exceeded that of any of its founder's previous ventures. His winning ideas included the buck-naked Hershey Kiss in 1907, which Hershey named himself. Seeking modesty (yeah, it’s corny but the best I could do), the kiss was “sealed” in a foil
wrapper in 1924.
As the company grew and Hershey's wealth expanded, so did his vision for creating a model community in his home territory. In the town that came to be known as Hershey, Hershey built schools, parks, churches, recreational facilities and housing for his employees and then added a trolley system for his workers. At his side for much of this philanthropy was his wife, Catherine, whom he had married in 1898. Unable to have children of their own, the Hersheys focused a good portion of their giving on endeavors that affected kids. In 1909, the couple opened the Hershey Industrial School, a facility for orphaned boys. It has since become a landing spot for girls as well and is now known as the Milton Hershey School. In 1918, three years after Catherine's untimely and unexpected death, Hershey transferred much of his wealth, including his ownership stake in the Hershey Chocolate Company, to the Hershey Trust, which funds the Hershey School. He never remarried and reportedly carried a picture of Catherine wherever he traveled. Hershey's philanthropy continued even when the economy struggled, and he was nearing the end of his life. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression,
Hershey ignited a building mini-boom in his town in order to keep men working. He ordered the construction of a large hotel, a community building and new offices for the Hershey Company.
For those who knew Hershey, his generosity wasn't surprising. Shy and reserved, he had a quiet demeanor that contrasted greatly with that of many of America's other business robber barons, err, titans. As he had been forced to leave school early, he seldom wrote or read, but Hershey was driven to make sure those around him received a solid education. He was modest, if not downright thrifty, and the community he had helped create meant everything to him. When it came time to build his own home, he made sure Hershey Company headquarters was in the view. His legacy as a businessman and philanthropist continues to this day. Perhaps most impressive, the Milton Hershey School now serves about 1,900 students each year, while the M.S. Hershey Foundation, established in 1935, funds educational and cultural activities for Hershey residents. Interestingly, Milton Hershey had fronted a $300 deposit for the maiden voyage of the
Titanic in 1912, but a business emergency made him change his travel plans at the
Go Ahead, Take a Taste
The Hershey Museum - Hershey PAlast minute. You might have figured as much by now, but this entire Hershey story captivated me. The Hershey Museum is the story of a remarkable man. There are artifacts on display, but failure to read the placards – well, that would be missing the entire point of the visit. Highly recommended.
I did cap off the self-guided museum tour with “
Chocolate Tastings at The Hershey’s Story.” At the chocolate bar, or table if you choose, the “menu” describes six different chocolates from around the world. For an additional fee, the visitor can select a shot glass-size portion of one, three or all six. Not wanting a belly ache, I opted for the threesome. In addition to Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, there were chocolates from Mexico, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Tanzania, and Java, but I don’t remember which one’s I selected. The chocotender, or would that be the barlatier, suggested I consume them in the specific order she had poured them. Probably, from more bitter to sweeter, etc. They were all good, but, to my surprise, each had a very distinctive flavor profile. Couples or families might want to get the “six pack” and share.
My next stop was the
Wilbur Chocolate Factory & Candy Americana Museum in Lititz PA. This
I Couldn’t Resist
Wilbur Chocolate Factory - Lititz PA facility is ninety percent retail outlet and ten percent “watching the decorators at work.” Large windows allow the visitor to see the decorators in action, while virtually nobody leaves empty-handed. I broke down and bought the fire department set. Down the street is the
Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery. The attraction offers guided tours of the old pretzel bakery. The tour was interesting and informative, and everybody got the chance to twist a pretzel into the iconic shape. Par for the course, the kids caught on quickly. Yes, there too I left with a couple of bags of “broken-and-pieces” pretzels that were ”on-sale.” There was nothing wrong with the flavor, and I’ve had more “broken pieces” in a “full-price” bag from the grocery store. Both stops were worthwhile if passing through or near Lititz.
Thursday, August 8, 2019 found me making my way to the
State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. The museum starts off in the coal forest, as well it should. Bituminous coal was first mined in Pennsylvania in the late-1700s, and during 1997 over 73 million tons of bituminous coal was mined in Pennsylvania. The exhibits continue with the state’s natural history, critters! Very nicely done dioramas of mammals are presented, and native
birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish are identified. We learn Pennsylvania’s first constitution was “An Experiment in Radical Democracy.” The “Man and Machine in Pennsylvania” exhibit tells the story of what the title implies quite nicely, and includes “Framing a Barn,” “Types of Roads,” “The Textile Mill,” “The Ironworks,” The Industrialist” and “The Workers.” We learn the Pennsylvania Turnpike, America’s first superhighway, was built to provide citizens with a safer, faster and more direct route across the Appalachian Mountains. The museum tour winds down with an art gallery featuring Pennsylvania artists, silver pieces from the
USS Pennsylvania and a tribute to the fiftieth Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. This state museum is very nicely done and, indeed, probably ranks in the top ten that I have seen.
My next stop was the
Pennsylvania State Capitol, also in Harrisburg. According to its web site, the 1906 capitol is “… a priceless architectural and artistic treasure....” That is a gross understatement. President Theodore Roosevelt said at the dedication of the building on October 4, 1906, "This is the handsomest building I ever saw." That statement might be accurate as this capital ranks in the top 2 or 3 capitals I have visited. Actually,
I cannot, off the top of my head, think of a more beautiful capital that I have visited. If you have the opportunity to visit, do it. If you are passing through, stop. If you are passing nearby, veer. By all means, take the guided tour. I’ll let the pictures speak for the landmark.
My next stop was City Island, also in Harrisburg, with grand plans of riding the 1950s Carousel. I arrived only to learn that the carousel is a “miniature” carousel suitable only for children. Oh well, all was not lost – I did the next best thing, and took a ride on the entertainment trolley that circles City Park. Friday, August 9, 2019 was another Covered Bridge Road Trip in the Elizabethtown area. While I was gathering some photographic evidence of my presence at the Mount Pleasant Covered Bridge near Blain PA, a neighboring farmer came by on a 4-wheeler and stopped. After providing satisfactory answers to the standard “Neighborhood Watch” questions, he inquired as to my interest in all bridges or just covered bridges. My regulars know that any unique or historical bridge will work for Uncle Larry! He told me of a small stone
arch bridge in Blain, only about two miles of backtracking. The Internet is an amazing tool.
Wikipedia says, “The Old Stone Arch Bridge is a single-span stone arch bridge which crosses Jack's Creek in Derry Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. Philip Diehl built the bridge in 1813 as part of the Harrisburg to Pittsburgh Turnpike; it is the oldest bridge of its type in central Pennsylvania.” The candid farmer accurately minimized the bridges splendor but said its uniqueness is that it has no railings. Backtracking two miles – no problem! His directions and his description were spot on, and, of course, I had to drive across.
The aforementioned farmer also told me of the Rockville Bridge in Marysville PA, close to my first stop of the next morning. Given that the Harris Switch Tower in Harrisburg didn’t open until 11 AM (it’s only open on Saturdays from 11 AM until 3 PM), I decided the Rockville Bridge would be my first Saturday stop. The
Rockville Bridge is an icon of railroad engineering and is composed of 220,000 tons of stone that took 800 workers two years to build. Each of the forty-eight arches measures seventy feet long, and the four arches
at each end gently curve to accommodate the swing of the tracks as they turn to parallel the river. The bridge opened on March 30, 1902 and held a price tag of $975,150. Today, many people call the Rockville Bridge "the longest stone-arch bridge in the world," but that's only partly true. Only the visible outer layer of its form is composed of stone. The piers and spandrels (the area between the arches) are filled with concrete, technically making it a composite structure. Regardless, it's a really cool bridge, and I was fortunate enough, during my short stop, to see two trains pass simultaneously going in opposite directions. Pretty cool.
Onward to my original first stop of the day, the
Harris Switch Tower in Harrisburg. The Harris Switch Tower, one of the last built in the country by the Pennsylvania Railroad, went into operation in 1930 and controlled a 4,000-foot long, 15 track wide section near the Harrisburg Station. During its peak in the 1940s, it controlled the vast majority of passenger trains, local and express, entering and leaving Harrisburg – over 100 per day. Eventually, advances in transportation technology made switch towers and interlocking machines obsolete, and operations at the
Harris Switch Tower were phased out in 1991. Today, the main attraction in the tower is its fully operational (though disconnected) interlocking machine and model board where the visitor can pull on any of the 113 levers to see how their actions affect the 450 lights on the model board. The docent was more interested in me pulling the levers than I was. I was more interested in learning the overall operational characteristics of the switching yard rather than the microcosm in the switching tower. No matter the nature the type of question I asked, I couldn’t remove his blinders. I found the attraction pretty cool, but it definitely is a “railroad nerd thingy.”
My next stop was the
Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg PA. This railroad museum is better that most of the museums I have visited but is not the best museum, by far. The guided tour of the yard revealed some interesting facts, and the interior museum held some unique artifacts. Most of the uninitiated would find it interesting, and the railroading aficionado might find a one-of-a-kind artifact with remarkable scarcity (of which I was unaware). For that middle-of-the-road crew that has visited several railroading museums, this facility
is somewhat mundane. From the railroad museum, I headed for three covered bridges in what I termed the Covered Bridge Daycap (vs. nightcap) in the Elizabethtown area and made my final stop at Twin Grove Park & Campground in Pine Grove PA for a ride on their 1955 Carousel. This RV park has lots of amenities that make it very family friendly.
I arrived at the visitor center for
Wheatland: President James Buchanan House in Lancaster PA on Monday, August 12, 2019 at a “tweener” time – sorta half way between guided tours – so I visited a portion of the museum, took the house tour and then finished the museum. James Buchanan Jr. (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868) was the 15th President of the United States and served prior to the American Civil War (1857–1861). He had served in both houses of Congress, as Andrew Jackson's Minister to Russia and as James K. Polk's Secretary of State before becoming President. As President, Buchanan supported the Dred Scott decision and joined with Southern leaders in attempting to admit Kansas to the Union as a slave state. In the process, he angered Republicans and alienated many Northern Democrats. Buchanan held to his
pledge to serve only one term, and he supported the unsuccessful candidacy of his Vice President, John C. Breckinridge, in the 1860 presidential election. After Republican Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 election, several Southern states seceded, and the Civil War began just weeks after Buchanan left office. He died in 1868 at age 77 and is the only President to remain a lifelong bachelor. Historians fault him for his failure to address the issue of slavery and the secession of the Southern states and, generally, consider him to be one of the worst presidents in U.S. history. Ouch!
The museum is much more a Lancaster museum than a Buchanan museum; offers a comparison of two contemporary yet antithetical Pennsylvania native sons, Buchanan and Thaddeus Stevens, a Lancaster native; a member of the United States House of Representatives and one of the leaders of the Radical Republican faction of the Republican Party during the 1860s. The museum ends with “225 Years of Journalism in Lancaster County.” The house tour, on the other hand, is totally about Buchanan and is very worthwhile for the average tourist.
I had a sweet time in the Hershey/Harrisburg area. For the most part, the
The Bathroom Was Quite Modern for the Day
Wheatland - President James Buchanan House - Lancaster PA weather was good, the roads were in good condition and the folks were friendly and accommodating. I saw covered bridges, a carousel, a state capital and a presidential home. What more can a fella want?
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