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Derry Township near Hershey in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Kinderhaus Canna Bed

Milton Hershey School Heritage Center

 
 
Kinderhaus Canna Bed Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Don Morfe, May 31, 2015
1. Kinderhaus Canna Bed Marker
Inscription. Catherine Hershey loved cannas and the gardens at High Point included many examples. On the occasion of Fanny Hershey’s 80th birthday in 1915, Milton prepared a surprise birthday party for his mother at High Point. The event was big news in the Hershey Press, which noted, “It was one of the jolliest breakfasts ever served. Mrs. Hershey was of course, the chief guest and presiding at the table was her son, while all around were the happy youngsters from the Hershey Industrial School, their appetites keen, their voices musical with merriment.” Afterwards, Mr. Hershey told them to hide themselves in the big canna bed (as see in this photograph) and let the photographer take their pictures. The result was “a remarkable photograph in which flowers, urchins, and sunshine are delightfully combined.”

In June of 1912, when the youngest students moved from The Homestead to Kinderhaus, their new home contained a canna bed similar to that at High Point. When the Department of School History relocated from Founders Hall to Kinderhaus in April of 2007, the photograph on the left was used to create a new canna bed in close proximity to the original bed as seen on the right.

(Inscription under the photo in the upper left)
Hershey Industrial School boys hiding in the Canna bed.

(Inscription on the photo in the lower left)
First students at Kinderhaus: June 1, 1912.

(Inscription under the photo in the upper right)
Fanny Hershey’s 80th birthday, breakfast at the Mansion: September 4, 1915.

(Inscription under the photo in the lower right)
Girls from Student Home Brookside: June 1, 2012.
 
Erected by Department

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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: EducationHorticulture & Forestry. A significant historical month for this entry is April 2007.
 
Location. 40° 16.486′ N, 76° 37.581′ W. Marker is near Hershey, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. It is in Derry Township. It is at the intersection of East Governor Road (U.S. 322) and Meadow Lane on East Governor Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 479 East Governor Road, Hershey PA 17033, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, in the Susquehanna Valley, and in Greater Harrisburg. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Milton Hershey School
Kinderhaus Canna Bed image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Don Morfe, May 31, 2015
2. Kinderhaus Canna Bed
(a few steps from this marker); Kinderhaus “Climbing Tree” (within shouting distance of this marker); The Homestead (approx. 0.3 miles away); Milton S. Hershey (approx. 0.4 miles away); Wildlife Habitat Enhancement (approx. 0.9 miles away); Pennsylvania State Police (approx. 1.1 miles away); Derry Churchyard (approx. 1.3 miles away); Hershey (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hershey.
 
Milton Hershey School Founded 1909 image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Don Morfe, May 31, 2015
3. Milton Hershey School Founded 1909
Heritage Center at Kinderhaus
Milton Hershey School Founded 1909 image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Don Morfe, May 31, 2015
4. Milton Hershey School Founded 1909
Heritage Center at Kinderhaus
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 8, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 459 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 8, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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Aug. 1, 2026