The need for a variety of town services became apparent shortly after the Hershey Chocolate factory began operating in the summer of 1905. Hershey Volunteer Fire Company, our community’s oldest service organization, was first organized in August 1905 with Frank Snavely serving as the first president and Charles V. Glynn as the first fire chief. The volunteers soon began responding to calls. The first call came in December 1905 to a fire at John Moyer’s Derry Church residence. The organization was officially chartered in 1907. At that time there were 73 members, including Milton Hershey. Throughout his life he was an advocate for the Fire Company and personally supported the organization with financial donations and by purchasing fire trucks and equipment.

Hershey Volunteer Fire Company, first fire hall. ca. 1906-1910

The first fire house was located on Chocolate Avenue, just west of the Chocolate factory. At first the organization was as much a social club as a service organization. As the town grew and new organizations started, the Fire Company focused more of its energy on providing the best possible service to the community. As the town grew and technology improved, the Fire Company needed to upgrade its fire fighting equipment. A new Packard pumper was purchased in 1921 and in 1926 a Selden Buffalo pumper was acquired. With the addition of this new equipment, the fire hall was too small for the Fire Company needs .

New Fire Hall on West Caracas Avenue, men posing with Selden and Packard pumpers. 1928

In 1927 Milton Hershey responded to the need for the new fire house by donating a piece of land on W. Caracas Avenue, just off Cocoa Avenue as well as $5000 towards construction costs. Work on the $15,000 building began on January 10, 1928. It was completed in June that same year. Formal dedication ceremonies for the station were held on June 23, 1928. The festivities began with a parade followed by the dedication ceremony. A evening dance and carnival concluded the day long celebration. Today this building is the center part of the current fire station.

Comet Roller Coaster ride entrance, ca.1946-1960

The end of World War II was celebrated at Hershey Park with the addition of a new roller coaster, the Comet.  Opening for the 1946 season, the Comet replaced the 1923 Wild Cat Roller coaster.  Like the park’s first coaster, this one was designed and constructed by Herbert Schmeck and the Philadelphia Toboggan Company.  One unique feature of this coaster is that it crosses Spring Creek twice during its 3,360 foot journey. 

Hersheypark's Comet Roller Coaster crosses Spring Creek twice during its journey. ca.1960-1070

A total of 248,919 feet of lumber was used to build the double out-and-back coaster.  The coaster is built so close to town that riders’ screams can be heard on Chocolate Avenue.  The coaster features a series of drops that curve as they descend on the third and forth runs to create a more exciting ride.  The ride’s finish is a series of hills or bunny hops with a turnaround to the brake curve and loading station.

Aerial view, Hersheypark Comet Roller Coaster, ca.1946-1956

In-store advertisement, ca. 1930

In the 1920s Hershey Chocolate Company wanted to expand its product line and began experimenting with formulas for another nut bar. Samuel Hinkle, who began his career as a plant chemist in November 1924, spearheaded the company’s efforts. He shared vivid memories of developing the formula for Mr. Goodbar in 1925 in his 1975 oral history interview:

“We’d been experimenting with a peanut bar, peanuts being a popular product with the American people,” said Hinkle. “We decided we’d better use Spanish peanuts rather than Virginia peanuts. We came up with this Spanish peanut, a small round peanut, and we left the little red shell on the outside. We called it roasted, but we really were frying the peanuts in fat and combining them with our milk chocolate. We began to think about a name. Actually, it was Mr. Hershey who really came up with the name. Someone said, ‘That’s a good bar.’ And his (Mr. Hershey’s) hearing being a little bad, he thought they said, Mr. Goodbar. So he named it Mr. Goodbar.”

Mr. Goodbar is one of the Chocolate Company’s most enduring products. During the 1930s Depression Era, it was marketed as a “Tasty Lunch” because the peanuts gave it added nutritional value. During these years the bars sold 2 for a 5 cents. In the 1950s and 1960s the bars carried the slogan, “Quick Energy in Every Bar!”

Hershey Industrial School students served as pallbearers at Milton Hershey's funeral. (Students were selected from the Class of 1946): John Albright, Clyde Harman, Rome Owens, Elwood Scheib, Stephen Sekellic, Kenneth Steen, William Swingle, Wilmer Wolf

“I admired him from the beginning.  It was always an inspiration to see the way he calmly and quietly and tenaciously fought his way through one obstacle after the other until he achieved his big success.  And it was an inspiration, too, to find that he measured success, not in dollars, but in terms of a good product to pass on to the public, and still more in the usefulness of those dollars for the benefit of his fellow men.  His life and work will always remain a great inspiration to us all.”