Schmitz Mobile Chaos Unit: Schmitz 2018 Vaca, Post 2

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Schmitz 2018 Vaca, Post 2 - Hershey Park, Part 2

So part two of our trip to Hershey starts with a bus tour around the town of various and sundry locations that Hershey has built and maintained thru the years.

They told many stories of how great Milton Hershey was and the many great things he did with his success! I did not realize that the real-life Willy Wonka was such a good man, but that's what he was!

If you're interested in that history there's a very good quick-read of his life here.

I'll give just an example or two. He was forced to leave school early and as such didn't get the education that he should have. He created the many opportunities for kids to get great educations and even created the Hershey Industrial School for orphaned boys. Today, that school accepts boys and girls and serves over 1900 kids per year!

Also, during the 1930's in the depression, he spent his own money to keep the men of the town employed. He ordered the building of a hotel, a community building and new offices for his company!

This is the Hershey mansion in which Milton and his wife Catherine lived. He would walk to work from here many days of the year.

On the bus, the two peeps up front were our entertainment for the tour. The lady was excellent and the dude kept leaving the interior of the bus, getting in a changing room on the back/exterior of the bus and coming back as a different character. They told a good story that was often interrupted by a P.I.T.A. little whiny kid behind me. The dude in the costume was staring HOLES thru this kid on the tour! LOL!

I'm going on a shaky memory here but I believe that's the old factory there.

And, again... old memory, but I believe that's the old offices for Hershey.

This is part or the industrial school.

From up on the hill in front of the industrial school overlooking the Hershey theme park and factories. It's quite the kingdom on Earth that this fella created!