Highlights:
Amish/ Mennonite community
Hershey-the man, the town the candy
Cornwall furnace
Lititz Pretzel factory
Sharing this with Pat & Tiffany!
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Oct. 3-6, 2008
182 miles and 3 1/2 hours from our last stop
Bob & Jenny's Cross Country Adventure
Day 48 to 51
Welcome to
Hershey, Pa was just another destination on our itinerary until we became familiar with the history of this town. Started by a Mennonite man named Milton Hershey this town evolved in such a way that today it has a very unique way about it. To begin with, Milton H, after learning how to make candy in 1876 tried three times to build a successful candy business. The first two ended in bankruptcy- the third is history. Milton S. Hershey’s legacy extends beyond the company he founded, the town he built and the products he created that are enjoyed by millions. As early as 1905, he established an independent trust company to provide the town’s financial services and manage the assets that were to fund his many philanthropic endeavors. He was a man with a vision who had integrity for his business as well as compassion for the people that worked for him. Too bad he is not around today to be a mentor for the many greedy corporate leaders we have today. Maybe we wouldn't be in the financial mess that we are in. I could go on and on about the man and the town he started but instead, here is a link to find out more.
The largest chocolate factory in the world
We felt like we were in Disneyland as we took the very interesting ride that takes you through the process of candy production, starting with gathering the cacao and ending with wrapping the candy bars. Jenny's sister and her daughter are in the back.
This is one of many homes at the Milton Hershey School for underprivileged children. Each house has 10-14 children with houseparents who take an active, nurturing role in the students development and well being. Ninety three percent of these students go on to a 4 year college. Very impressive!
Yes, those are Hershey Kisses and Hugs street lights.
We really enjoyed driving through the Amish/Mennonite Community. You can tell that these people have a real love for the simple things in life. Driving down the road, you can see children playing in the yards and when there is work to be done, they are out in the fields helping as in the photo above.
Remember hanging out the wash on the clothesline and how fresh the clothes smelled when they were brought in? I wonder how much energy could be saved if we dried our clothes this way again?
We took advantage of the many family roadside stands where we bought vegetables, fruit, baked goods and two delicious custard pumpkin pies. It's a good thing we are doing a lot of walking.
These children were riding scooter bicycles where they propelled themselves by their feet rather than the traditional pedal and chain.
Although it is hard to see, there is tobacco hanging and drying in the barn. This is a crop that some of the Amish farmers produce.
Harvesting the alfalfa
We were driving in the country and saw a sign to a Snitz fest. What is a Snitz fest? Well, we found out that Snitz are dried apples. There were many artisans there demonstrating how they did things before electricity and technology.
This is the oldest pretzel factory in the US which is in Lititz, Pa. (OK guys watch your pronunciation) We are in front with Jenny's sister and niece eating a soft pretzel that was delicious.
The foundry in Cornwall, Pa. Jenny's roots go back to Cornwall Eng. so this was a special treat to visit. As usual, it took a lot more effort to get ready to melt the iron ore. They needed 10,000 acres of trees to produce enough charcoal to sustain their operation and that was only the start......
These bridges were West of Hershey and caught our eyes. We counted 5 of them.
Harpers Ferry, Pa. exchanged hands many times during the civil war. With the excellent source of water, George Washington was a strong proponent in establishing this area into an important military Armory and Arsenal.
The Potomac River (foreground) meets the Shenandoah River at the confluence in Harpers Ferry. There was a tremendous amount of water that flowed through this area and as you would guess, flooding the city was a common occurrence.
This is the armory where Abolitionist John Brown and his men in 1859 took under siege in their effort to bring an end to slavery. The siege failed after 2 days and he was hung 2 months later, but not until he had his day in court which is what he wanted..The Civil war started about 18 months later.
Here, in Harpers Ferry, they manufactured rifles using the above lathes. The leather belts drove the lathes which derived their power from water wheels.
