Community – Hershey Community Archives

Hershey Public Library

The campaign to establish a public library in Hershey began in the spring of 1912. In the April 11, 1912 issue of the Hershey Press, there was an announcement that Hershey would soon have a public library: A LIBRARY FOR HERSHEY WILL BE PLACED IN THE Y.M.C.A. OPEN TO PUBLIC Hershey is to have a […]

Hershey Area Art Association: A Splash of Color in Hershey

In order to document and preserve the history of the community, Hershey Community Archives actively collects the records of local businesses and organizations. The Archives recently received the records of the Hershey Area Art Association [HAAA]. The records document the history and activities of the HAAA and illustrate how this organization helps to fulfill its goal of providing cultural […]

Hidden Collections: Hershey Senior Citizens Writing Project

Did you know that the Hershey Community Archives includes records of local businesses and organizations? In addition to caring for the corporate records of Milton Hershey’s businesses, we also seek to preserve the history of the Hershey community and actively collect the records of organizations such as the Hershey Rotary Club, the Volunteer Fire Company, People […]

HersheyArchives@30, Part 22: Service Above Self – Hershey Rotary Club

Community organizations are the lifeblood of a town. They provide residents with opportunities to meet and socialize with each other while working to enhance community life. These groups enrich their communities while giving their members a sense of purpose and contributing to the community. The Archives actively collects the records of Hershey’s community businesses and […]

HersheyArchives@30, Part 20: Eckenroth Journals – Working for Hershey Chocolate During the 1930s and 1940s

Daily journals are kept as a personal record of the activities in an individual’s life. Although never intended for a public audience, many journals provide us with a better understanding of what effect world-wide and local events had on an individual. Raphael Eckenroth’s journals detail his work experience in the Hershey Chocolate Factory during the […]

HersheyArchives@30, Part 16: Building a Year-round Destination for Entertainment – Hershey Theatre

In 1915, Hershey had his architect, C. Emlen Urban, draw up plans for a new community building. The building was to include a dining room, cafeteria, gymnasium, swimming pool, assembly rooms, a dormitory, a hospital, and two theaters: a small theater for local productions and a large, 2000 seat professional theater. Groundbreaking was scheduled for early […]

HersheyArchives@30, Part 7: To Build a Town – Step One: Houses

Visitors to Hershey today are often impressed by the community’s well-kept homes with tidy green lawns and sidewalks. Building attractive and comfortable homes for his workers was part of Milton Hershey’s vision for his model industrial town. Most of Hershey’s residential area is located on the south side of Chocolate Avenue. The layout for these […]

“To Serve, Not to Be Served”

While most people think of Hershey in terms of chocolate or amusement parks or even resort hotels, Hershey is also a community filled with people who live and work and go to school. It is a vibrant community whose residents contribute their time and expertise to a variety of social and service organizations. In 1980, […]

New exhibit: Hershey in 1963

Did you know that the Archives has a space for small exhibits in the lobby of The Hershey Story? Located right next to the entrance to the Cafe, the exhibit case provides the Archives the opportunity to highlight its collections and use them to tell some of Hershey’s amazing stories. This morning I installed the latest exhibit […]

All You Need Are a Few Good Men…

Milton Hershey had a genius for selecting talented, energetic people to help him manage his business ventures. The leadership and skills of these men freed Milton Hershey to pursue new passions and ventures, including Milton Hershey School, Cuba, and experiments with new products. Foremost among Mr. Hershey’s key managers was William F.R. Murrie. Bill Murrie began work for the […]

Looking for Something to Do? Hershey’s YMCA

Providing opportunities for recreation and continuing education has always been an important part of the Hershey community. Today those opportunities are provided by a number of organizations, including the Hershey Public Library, Derry Township Parks and Recreation, The M.S. Hershey Foundation and community groups such as the Hershey Figure Skating Club, Hershey Symphony Orchestra and the Hershey Community Chorus, just to name a […]

Year Round Entertainment: Hershey Central Theater

We’ve been working on a new presentation to tell the story of the history of entertainment in Hershey. While modern Hershey is well known as being a destination for all sorts of entertainment, providing a broad range of entertainment opportunities was part of Hershey’s allure from its earliest years. The Hershey Press (available online from the Archives […]

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