The "Memories Of Milton S. Hershey: Part II - Mt. Joy, PA" Story

It was an ordinary day.  I have written a few times about one of Lancaster's most prominent residents, Milton S. Hershey.  Mr. Hershey began his love affair with chocolate as a young boy when he worked at 48 1/2-52 W. King Street in downtown Lancaster.  

Lancaster Caramel Factory on Church Street.

It was in 1887 that he founded The Lancaster Caramel Company in the 300 block of Church Street in downtown Lancaster and eventually sold it in 1890 when he began the small town that bears his name; Hershey, Pennsylvania. It was in 1894 that he founded Hershey Chocolate Company and introduced the Hershey Bar the following year.  

Milton Hershey can be seen with his town of Hershey, PA.

His town of Hershey was situated close to the Dauphin-Reading Turnpike, thus making it easy for receiving his shipments of sugar and cocoa beans from the ports of New York and Philadelphia.  All of his plans were developed according to his master plan for success.  Wasn't long before he had constructed homes for workers as well as a new mansion near the plant for he and his wife.  

Hershey Chocolate Factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

He was a visionary that wanted the best for himself as well as his employees.  But, for as many times as I have read stories about him and his master plan, I never once knew that he had opened a plant in Lancaster County in an old brick building at East Donegal and South Jacob Streets in nearby Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.  I recently read an article in The Lancaster newspaper with a headline that read "Milton Hershey's local connections found in Mount Joy."  The story was written by "The Scribbler" aka Jack Brubaker.  

The plaque located in Mount Joy.  Click to enlarge.

He said that Harold and Hellen Keller recently showed him a plaque, high on a wall of an old brick building that houses an auxiliary Donsco operation next to the company's headquarters in Mt. Joy.  The tiny plaque read: "On this site and in this building Milton S. Hershey operated a caramel factory from about 1892 to 1898.  Seems the Mount Joy Chamber of Commerce placed the plaque on the building in 1972, putting it high enough so no one would vandalize it.  

Hershey's caramel factory in Mount Joy, PA

Perhaps that's why very few knew that Mr. Hershey every had a candy operation in a place other than Lancaster and Hershey.  Mr. Keller thought it was about time that the world knew about Mr. Hershey's factory in Mount Joy, so he notified Mr. Brubaker who in turn wrote his story for The Lancaster Newspaper.  So, how come the city of Lancaster doesn't have any neat plaques just like Mt. Joy does?  Mr. Hershey lived at 222 S. Queen Street in Lancaster when he had his factory in the 300 block of Church Street.  Why not a plaque on one of those locations.  One good reason might be that his home on Queen Street was torn down years ago to make way for a grocery store, but I'm not sure about the Church Street location.  Perhaps a plaque could tell of Hershey's factory in Lancaster as it does in Mt. Joy and in the town of Hershey, PA.  Who want's to be in charge of this idea?  Maybe me?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.