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EXHIBITS & COLLECTIONS DEDICATED TO PRESERVING HERSHEY'S HISTORY EXHIBITS & COLLECTIONS The Hershey Derry Township Historical Society is home to over 50,000 artifacts and photos. Browse through our museum and learn about the early settlers of Derry Township and the community of Hershey. ​ New Exhibits A Town Called Hershey From House Call to Phone Call Permanent exhibits Before There Was Chocolate...There Was Stone Derry Before Hershey Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmetic How the Work Was Done Major Winters Den: The Legacy of Major Dick Winters From B'ars to Bears: A History of the Hershey Bears Teeing Off - History of Golf in Hershey A Town Called Hershey (History of the Hershey Tran sit Company is part of the exhibit.) Then & Now A Munificent Gift From House Call to Phone Call The Presence of the Law Odyssey to America, Revisited - Celebrating Hershey's Italian American Heritage (Rotating exhibit) ​ Temporary exhibit Return of the "Chocolate Town Special" ​ Explore our museum exhibits, enjoy our rich history, and learn about the people who shaped this area. As a community History Center your experience and access to our history is part of our mission. Come visit us and explore our collection . FROM B'ARS TO BEARS Permanent Exhibit This exhibit presents a thorough history of the American Hockey League's most storied and successful franchise, featuring items from the Hershey History Center permanent collection and items on loan from former Bears as well as other pieces culminating over 80 years of Hershey Bears history. BEYOND BAND OF BROTHERS Permanent Exhibit In 2012, the estate and family of Major Dick Winters donated the personal belongings to recreate Winter's personal office. Explore through Winter's artifacts, books, military memorabilia as it was during his leadership in World War II. BEFORE THERE WAS CHOCOLATE Permanent Exhibit Before There was Chocolate illustrates the early quarry industry that supplied brownstone to the entire east coast and as far west as St. Louis, and the local community of Waltonville that evolved to support the industry. OTHER COLLECTIONS PHOTO ARCHIVES ​ Past Perfect Online Ar chive Visit and explore our online database Past Perfect. A digital archive of thousands of photographs in our collection To meet with our photo archivist to research our photo collection at the History Center, email us at info@hersheyhistory.org to make an appointment request. VIEW ARCHIVE RESEARCH LIBRARY & ARCHIVES Our research library and archives are available for members to research our records for genealogical and regional historical research. ​ Send an email to request an appointment to meet with a staff member at info@hersheyhistory.org ​ ​ ​ MAKE AN APPOINTMENT ROTATING EXHIBITS ​ Our temporary exhibit space reveals a more detailed view into a featured theme from our collections and community. ​ Visit us to learn more about the stories and the people that make our community unique. VISIT US LEARN MORE MANAGING COLLECTIONS View the History Center’s artifact collections storage and see how we care for and implement preservation for our collections. READ MORE We're very proud of our extensive collections that have been entrusted to us. Our diverse collections tell the fascinating story of Derry Township. ​ - Susan Mittan, Volunteer Anchor 1

A MUNIFICENT GIFT To begin the virtual audio tour for this exhibit, please click the Play button. A Munificent Gift 00:00 / 00:18

Acerca de WW2 TOUR In the Footsteps of Major Dick Winters About the Tour Since 2009, The Hershey History Center has hosted nearly 750 people from 25 states on this commemorative tour, honoring the Men of Easy Company, 101st Airborne, led by longtime Hershey resident Major Richard "Dick" Winters. Join this extraordinary journey in 2024, the 80th anniversary of the Allies' liberation route across Western Europe!" ​ Check back for news on the 2026 tour Depart Thursday, September 5, 2024 and return on Friday, September 20, 2024. Travel by air, train and coach. Your package includes 14 nights accommodations: ​ 2 nights Letchworth, United Kingdom 1 night Dieppe, France 3 nights Colleville sur Mer, Franc e 3 nights Eindhoven, Netherlands 2 nights Bastogne, Belgium 1 night Dachau, Germany 2 nights Salzburg, Austria Special Features Major Dick Winters. Schoonderlogt, Holland, October 1944, during the Battle of Arnhem. ​ Bletchley Park Duxford Air Show Gold Pass Imperial War Museums Churchill War Museum Eurostar London - Calais (change of trains en route ) D-Day Museum Utah Beach Wings of Liberation Museum including 3 hour battlefield tour in vintage US WW2 military vehicles Bastogne War Museum Dachau Concentration Camp Eagles Nest and Documentation Center Register Now! REGISTER FOR THE TOUR Round Trip Airfare cost $1190 inclusive of taxes; subject to change until final payment secured. Sept 5...Depart JFK 6:50 PM. British Air Flight #174 Sept 6...Arrive LHR (Heathrow) 6:50 AM Sept 20...Depart MUC (Munich) 4:25 PM British Air Flight # 953 Arrive LHR (Heathrow) 5:25 PM Depart LHR (Heathrow) 7:05 PM British Air Flight #183 Arrive JFK 9:50 PM Online registration available through the link or by calling Gate1 at 1-215-572-7676. ​ If calling, please reference group #2405385. Travel Protection must be purchased within 21 days of deposit in order to cover pre-existing conditions. Cancel For Any Reason Coverage is not available from Gate1 for this custom itinerary. If CFAR coverage is preferred, please purchase independently through Travel Insured, Travel Guard or other travel insurance company. Please contact Laura Passuello gttplanner@gmail.com for any questions. Passport expiration date must be April 1, 2025 or later! Air fare will be announced in late Fall 2023 with departure from Newark, Philadelphia or Washington D.C. (Dulles) TESTIMONIALS "This was the trip of a lifetime!" April, 2011 — Richard Burton, Harrisburg "Every time I go, I learn something new. I keep going because every detail is taken into consideration... being at the American Cemetery as the US flag is lowered while taps is played, a chance to walk on Omaha Beach at dawn, riding in WWII vehicles through the battlefields in Holland. I'm already registered for the 2024 tour, my fourth!" — Randy Ent, Erie, PA - 2014, 2015, 2018 "My husband, Rich, and I joined the 2019 tour - "WWII Expedition: In The Footsteps of Major Dick Winters". My goal was to follow my dad's WWII journey through Europe. My dad, Tony Zanzinger, served in the 101st Airborne as part of the 501st PIR which fought alongside the 506th from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. I was not prepared for the emotional connection I felt at each of our stops. We were greeted with thanks and admiration for our soldiers everywhere we went - from the makeshift medic station at the church in Angoville-au-Plain, France where my dad was treated for injuries; to Eerde, Holland where we attended the liberation ceremony honoring my dad's unit; to Bastogne where our Belgian soldier guide presented me with an honorary plaque in thanks for my dad's service; and finally to Hilter's Eagle's Nest where I could see the mountain where my dad was taught how to ski. This truly was a trip that honored my dad and all the soldiers of the 101st." — Judi and Rich Bourque, Etters, September 2019 Tour Please click an image for the caption.

THE BEHNEY QUILT Gordon Fong recently visited HHC from North Carolina, to donate a quilt that had belonged to his grandfather. The hand-cut, handstitched, wool quilt was crafted in 1899 by Gordon’s great-great grandmother, who lived in Derry Church. This is signified on the quilt. ​ Gordon’s grandfather, Charles “Clyde” Behney, was born in Derry Church, in 1885. A life well lived is documented by Gordon, and he tells of his grandfather’s experiences running track against Jim Thorpe and his work on the top-secret Manhattan District project. ​ The quilt, a utilitarian artifact, is a notable piece of pre-Hershey history. Below, read more about Gordon’s remembrances of his grandfather and the experiences of Charles Behney’s life. ​ The varied-color hand stitching on the quilt reads "Made by Grandma Wenger 1899 for Chas Behney." ​ Manhattan District Certificate dated Aug 6, 1945 A Few of Clyde’s many Trophies for his Roses A 1st Prize Trophy Dickinson College Interscholastic Relay Races (1903) C harles “Clyde” Behney I have written this article about my grandfather after donating his 1899 quilt to the Hersey History Center. The memory of my grandfather has given me great joy and pride! My grandfather, on my mother’s side, Charles “Clyde” Behney, was born in Derry Church, PA in 1885. He graduated from the Dickinson Collegiate Preparatory College, Carlisle, PA in 1904 and from t he Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA in 1908 with a Degree of Mechanical Engineer. He was married to Evelyn Paul Behney for 63 years. Clyde worked for a company that installed flow meters. One of his projects in the 1920’s was for the water system of Syracuse, NY. The meters were at Skeneatles Lake and I saw those same meters in 1965! In 1935, Clyde earned his Master of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He then moved to Delaware and worked for DuPont as a civil engineer and was involved in the top-secret Manhattan District project, which had to do with the development of the atomic bomb. When Clyde retired from DuPont he became interested in growing roses and had over 300 roses on his property. He was a member of the American Rose Society and a respected, accredited judge. Clyde died in 1984 at the age of 99. He had a full and productive life. I have many recollections of my grandfather who I called Pa. As a young boy, my brother and I would spend a week with our grandparents, Ma and Pa, in Delaware (ca. 1948-1955). Pa had made a wood shop in his basement and on one visit we were going to make something in the shop. I was around 8 and excited to use a hammer and saw. But, first Pa and I discussed what I would make. With much discussion and thought, we decided I would make a small end table. Now I could hammer and saw. But, Pa said I needed blueprints for my project. He gave me graph paper and each square was equal to an inch. No hammer and saw. But, by the end of our stay, I had made my table which I still have. I also have the lesson that Pa taught me: be thoughtful, methodical and consistent. Ma liked roses, so Pa bought a rose bush. Then another and another until he had over 300 roses in his yard. He entered his roses in many rose shows in the eastern United States and generally was the big winner. Of course he was the big winner. He had three refrigerators in his basement with a chart of each bush as to when to cut the rose and how long it could stay in the refrigerator before a rose show. I remember during our summer stays of driving with Pa and Ma to Derry Church (aka Hershey) to buy bags of cocoa shells. Pa said that was the best mulch for his roses. What goes around comes around! Table I built in Pa’s Workshop Gordon (age 7) and Pa (age 69) Clyde Showing Evelyn one of his Prize Winning Roses Darelynn Fung (age 9), Clyde (age 92) and Mark Fung (age 7) after walking in the parade at Clyde’s 69th Lehigh University reunion (1977) Ma and Pa stayed with my family in July of 1969. We watched on TV, on July 20th, the first man on the moon. I have been amazed at what Pa saw in his lifetime: the advent of automobiles, planes, and space travel. Pa smoked a pipe (Prince Albert tobacco) and would blow smoke rings. When I went to college, I started smoking a pipe. After much practice, I could blow smoke rings. Although Ma was extremely particular about preparing a meal and setting a table (no condiment jars on the table please). Pa on the other hand, was very basic: A&P grocery store raisin pie and peanut butter. Pa always followed the stock market. He kept track of the commodities in a 3 ring binder. He enjoyed going to the hotel DuPont and reading the ticker tape as it came in. At Christmas, Ma and Pa (who did not drink) would have very expensive bottles of liquor under their Christmas tree. These were gifts to Pa from people he had given good advice to about stocks. Pa told me, we knew cars were here to stay but the trick was to know which company was here to stay. In Pa’s later years, he would share stories of his childhood. He was raised by his grandparents (I do not know the particulars of this situation.) and as a young boy had a “business” of raising sheep. It was all his responsibility and he liked it when he sold the wool. Pa ran track at Dickinson and Lehigh. While at Dickinson, he ran against Jim Thorpe (and lost). Thorpe has been considered the best athlete of the first half of the 21st century. In the 1912 Olympics in Sweden, Thorpe won the pentathlon and decathlon. His world record score in the decathlon lasted until 1948. We took Pa to his 69th reunion at Lehigh in 1977 at the age of 92. Pa was looking forward to riding in a convertible in the parade. Unfortunately, an alumni from the year before Pa got to ride in the convertible. Of course, Pa said that was OK and he would walk the track with his great grandchildren (Darelynn Fung 9 and Mark Fung 7). Pa had a grand time and received the biggest applause. How appropriate for a fellow who ran against Jim Thorpe to take a final victory lap! Pa was an accomplished, steadfast individual.

MR. HERSHEY'S ZOO PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN A 4-day session starting on [Date} [Time] The ZooAmerica we know today had its beginnings 119 years ago, when it was called the Hershey Zoo. In 1905, Franz Zinner, the original zookeeper of Hershey Zoo, gave Milton S. Hershey 12 prairie dogs that would form the foundation of the future zoo. A few years later, bears, birds, deer, and exotic animals such as lions, leopards, monkeys, and exotic birds were added. The Hershey History Center celebrates that long history this summer with a hands-on children’s program presented by Lori Mitchell. ​The program: Recommended for children ages 4-7. Join in fun and interactive crafts. (Materials provided.) Listen to stories to learn about the zoo created by Mr. Hershey. Program fee: $30 per child. (Member discount: $25.) Pre-registration is required. CLICK HERE. Snack provided. REGISTER MEET SOME OF THE ANIMALS FEATURED IN OUR STORY Click on an animal for fun facts! What is special about a lioness? The lioness works together with other lionesses to hunt and help rear the cubs. This allows them to get the most from their hard work, keeping them healthier and safer. Being smaller and lighter than males, lionesses are more agile and faster. During hunting, smaller females chase the prey toward the center of the hunting group. What is the zebu known for? Zebus help the farmer to pull a plow or a cart. They are sometimes riding animals. They give milk like cows on a dairy farm. Some small breeds such as the miniature zebu are also kept as pets. They have a hump like a camel's hump, which is used to store fat in hot, dry spells when access to food and water is limited. The porcupine The North American porcupine is one of the largest rodents found in North America, coming second to the North America beaver. The porcupine's most famous feature—the quill. Porcupines are covered in about 30,000 quills. Contrary to popular belief, porcupines do NOT shoot out their quills. And monkeys, too? Monkeys, like humans, have a unique set of fingerprints of their own. Most monkeys have tails. All monkeys have opposable thumbs that allow the fingers to grasp and handle objects, like in human hands. Crocodile or alligator? This is an alligator. Crocodiles have a narrower snout than an alligator. The American alligator is found in south Florida, among other places, and are native only to the United States and China. The prairie dog The prairie dog is a plant eating ground squirrel native to the grasslands of North America. It excavates elaborate systems of burrows in flat prairie lands and create “towns” comprised of thousands of animals. The burrows are easily identified because of the large mound of dirt surrounding the entrance, providing a vantage point to spot approaching predators as well as flood protection.

SWIMMING IN HERSHEY PARK Most people would agree that nothing beats the heat and humidity on a hot summer's day like a dip in a cool swimming pool. And one of Hershey Park's earliest offerings was just that. The park's first attempt, an earthen pool, existed but a short time, being washed out by severe flooding from a storm in July of 1908. It would be replaced by a more permanent concrete one as seen in this recently acquired rare photo. It was located in what is now commonly referred to as "The Hollow". Think flat area between the Comet station and lift hill and Spring Creek. This early aerial view gives the best view of the pool's location. From upper left to lower : ball field, swimming pool, man-made skating pond with first Electric Fountain, Spring Creek. The pool would quickly become one of the most popular (and most photographed) areas of the park. A toboggan slide using wood sleds would be added and later replaced by another with a dip during the pool's almost 20 years in existence. One lesser known fact is that this little fella...The Boy With the Leaking Boot (pictured below), or more accurately known as this in the catalog...had his first home in Hershey at the base of the slide. Watching bathers became so popular that a grandstand designed for viewing was added to accommodate the numerous spectators. The pool closed after the1928 season when it was replaced by a much larger one located at the intersection of Park Boulevard and West Derry Road. The catchphrase "Brings the seashore to your door" came about because of its sandy "beach" area, opened in July of 1929. SWIMMING IN HERSHEY PARK Many older locals fondly remember that pool which closed after the 1971 season. The last vestige of the pool, a light house, was removed several years ago.

The Story Behind Emma and Her Little Autograph Book Young Emma Strickler of Swatara Station did what so many young people did back in the 1800's and first half of the 20th century, she asked friends and relatives to pen a sentiment or well-wishes in her little autograph book. ​ Born just three and one half years after Milton Hershey, Emma Brightbill Strickler, seen here as a young girl... ...asked then twenty-one year old Philadelphia "confectioner and fancy cake baker" Milton S. Hershey to pen a note in her autograph book. Almost 144 years ago, he wrote the following: Photo source: Private Collection One is only happy in proportion as he makes others feel happy. And only useful as he contributes his influences for the finer callings in life. ~ M. S. Hershey ​ Derry, Pa. Apr. 9, 1879. (Courtesy of Hummelstown Area Historical Society) Photo source: Private Collection This is what young "Milt" (right), seen here in a swim suit with Edwin W. Holt, looked like in 1879. It is of interest to note that Emma Strickler would later marry James G. Fox of Hummelstown becoming the daughter-in-law of Dr. Thomas G. Fox, the man who brought Milton Hershey into the world in the right front bedroom of The Homestead.

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