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Hersheypark was created as a recreation ground for the workers and families who staffed the Hershey chocolate factory in Pennsylvania when it opened on 30th May, 1906. But visitors from across the State soon came to marvel at its playgrounds, boating lake and band-stand\u2026 and, before long, the environs began to morph into the chocolate-themed amusement park it remains to this day.\nIts success exemplifies the \u2018Company Town\u2019 phenomenon: at one point, 3% of the USA\u2019s entire population lived in a town that was owned and run by the company that they worked for.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how caramel, not chocolate, first paved the way to Hershey\u2019s success; debate whether Hersheypark was a philanthropic gift to his employees, or a cynical bid to keep them from leaving; and explain to Americans why Brits would prefer an attraction with less butyric acid\u2026\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018More Than 110 Years of Hersheypark Happy\u2019 (Hershey, 2022): https://www.hersheypa.com/about-hershey/history/hersheypark-history.php\n\u2022 Milton Hershey, The Man Who Built A Chocolate Empire (All That\u2019s Interesting, 2022): https://allthatsinteresting.com/milton-hershey\n\u2022 \u2018From Sweet To Sweeter: The Legacy of Hersheypark\u2019 (Hersheypark Enthusiast, 2021):\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIJlIYlPo38\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices