The Town That Chocolate Built.
The town of Hershey in Pennsylvania owes its entire existence to chocolate. It was built by Milton Hershey to house his workers close to what was then the biggest chocolate factory in the world. Completed in 1905, the revolutionary factory produced milk chocolate bars, which until then were only available as luxury Swiss imports, and became the first product to be marketed nationally throughout the USA.
Because of his Mennonite background, as well as producing the world’s best chocolate, Hershey also had an overwhelming desire to build a model town around his factory. He wanted to afford his employees comfortable homes, inexpensive transport, education for their children, and recreational facilities, like many chocolate manufacturers of his time.