The Milton S. Hershey mansion which is known as High Point was built in 1908 and was the home of…read moreHershey Chocolate founder Milton S. and Catherine Hershey. It's the home that chocolate built.
Compared to other wealthy industrialists, such as the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts, High Point, designed by Henry Herr was very modest in size with only 22 rooms and a large front porch.
After Catherine's death in 1915, Milton didn't want to have much to do with the place and sold or gave away most all the furnishings, and moved upstairs to three rooms while the house was turned into the clubhouse for the local golf course. The funny thing is that he used to call those three rooms with his porch overlooking the grounds, Atlantic City, so when people would come by looking for him, he had his staff say that he was in Atlantic City.
When the Hershey country club was founded in 1930 Milton Hershey donated the house to the club and it remained his primary residence until his death in 1945. Later the house was acquired in 1970 by The Milton Hershey school, then purchased by Hershey Foods for its corporate headquarters in 1977 then years later, purchased by the Hershey Trust Company, which now continues their business at that location.
Tour tickets are released on the 15th of every month for the following month and tours are held only on Saturdays. The tickets are sold on a first come, first serve basis, so it's best to plan ahead to get your tickets. the tours typically last 60 to 75 minutes and will require a good bit of standing and walking and there is no seating available. The tickets are only sold online and must be purchased at least one day in advance and they are not sold at the mansion. There is a 10 guest maximum per tour and you need to arrive 10 minutes prior to your tour at the bottom of the front porch steps. There is free parking available in the adjoining lot and while walking the grounds and taking as many pictures as you'd like on the grounds is admissible photography is not permitted inside the building.
The docent and volunteers that run the program are well-versed and quite knowledgeable in all aspects of Milton, Hershey and his wife, Catherine, along with all the artifacts, original and reproduction furnishings that are located throughout the house. They were able to answer all of our questions, and even gave us some food for thought concerning the building of the house, cost of the house when built and the current structure of the house as it is today.
A visit to the mansion is a definite must for anybody that's interested in the history of Milton, Hershey, and how he brought chocolate to the masses.