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Hershey

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Hershey marks the intersection of agriculture and industry in the factories that are still among the world's largest producers of chocolate. After modest success in Lancaster as a producer of caramels, Milton Hershey returned to his hometown to take advantage of the connection between the transportation network of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the dairy products and workforce of the Pennsylvania Germans. He purchased a large tract in Derry Township in 1903, and by 1905 he began producing the famed milk chocolate line. He simultaneously began construction of the town that bears his name. It is centered on Chocolate and Cocoa avenues with iconic streetlights in the shape of Hershey Kisses. Until the 1990s, the tourist experience included a monorail ride that passed through portions of the factory where the sights and smells of the manufacture of chocolate were the prelude to the store. The modern visitors’ experience now takes place at Hershey's Chocolate World.

Writing Credits

Author: 
George E. Thomas

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