10 Fascinating Things Manufactured in Pennsylvania




Pennsylvania is famous for its steel manufacturing, coal mining and of course, Hershey’s Chocolates, but there is a wide and fascinating diversity of manufacturing in the commonwealth. In addition to regional specialties, Pennsylvania is the largest producer of pretzels and sausage in the country. While the future of Pennsylvania manufacturing is bright (see story on page ) and new manufacturing technologies are making their home here (page ), it’s also fascinating to take a whimsical look at some of very familiar items that are manufactured right here in Pennsylvania. Here’s a look at Ten Fascinating Things Manufactured in Pennsylvania:

 Crayola Crayons

Every year, millions of Crayola crayons and markers are made in Easton and Bethlehem. Founded in 1885 by cousins, the company initially made colorants for industrial use. In 1903, the company developed its famous line of wax crayons, which were sold under the brand name Crayola (from craie – French for “chalk and ola for “oleaginous” or “oily.”) Over the years the company expanded their line, adding more colors and other products, and in the process became a staple for generations of kids. In 1998, Crayola Crayons was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame, and in 2015 launched a line called Color Escapes for adults. The company has even gone green and makes crayons with solar power. if you ever happen to visit the Crayola factory, be sure to take the kids to the Crayola Experience, where they can see how crayons and markers are made as well as have fun with interactive art projects.

 

Pyrex

Who doesn’t own som e Pyrex cookware? But did you know that the famous bakeware has been around for over one hundred years? In 1908, Corning Glass Works started making Nonex, a thermally resistant “non-expansion glass,” for railroad signal lanterns and other industrial applications. This clear glass moved into the kitchen through the efforts of Corning employee Jesse Littleton. As the origin story goes, he brought a sawed-off battery jar home to his wife Bessie, and she used the shallow mold to bake a cake. By 1915, Corning was selling Pyrex pie plates, casserole dishes, and bakeware to the housewives all across America. If you’ve ever measured out milk for pancakes, melted butter in the microwave, scooped out a slice of lasagna at a potluck buffet, or even just dug into a bowl of popcorn, you’ve likely used Pyrex in your life. All Pyrex Bakeware is still manufactured in Chareloi, Pennsylvania.

 

Kepner Scott Shoes

In 1888, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania was beginning to emerge as a footwear manufacturing hub. That same year Kepner Scott Shoe Co. was founded from the former shoe firm of Haeseler, Kepner and Co. by Alexander Scott and W.C. Kepner. By 1913 Orwigsburg was home to eleven shoe manufacturers collectively producing over 1.4 million pairs of children’s shoes annually.Over 130 years later, Kepner Scott is still making children’s shoes in Orwigsburg. By the 1960’s the children’s shoe market was dominated by stiff uncomfortable welted shoes. Comfort and flexibility were being sacrificed for durability. Kepner Scott went against that trend and the company takes pride in offering “healthy shoes” for children and one thing you might appreciate is that they really believe in proper fit. Unlike many manufacturers today, they haven’t eliminated widths and sizes for economy. This third-generation family-owned company shows no signs of slowing up.

 

Holgate Toys

In 1789, America’s Constitution was signed and George Washington became the country’s first President. It was also the year Cornelius Holgate established a woodworking shop in the Colonial town of Roxborough. The company has been in continuous operation ever since! Through the years, Holagte made numerous wooden products for home, farm and industry. Shortly after the Civil War, the company moved to Kane, Pennsylvania, to be near the area’s abundant hardwood forests. In 1929, its expanded its product line by making educational pre-school wooden toys. Holgate’s concern for safety, durability and educational play earned recognition as America’s premier toy designer. With the great consumer success of its toys, Holgate began concentrating on this segment of its business. Today Holgate is synonymous with toys and still making the finest wooden toys in America. The factory is now located in Bradford, Pennsylvania, still in the middle of America’s premier hardwood forests.

 

Gardners Candies

Gardners Candies was founded in 1897 by a sixteen- year-old boy named James “Pike” Gardner in Tyrone, Pennsylvania. The young entrepreneur operated out of a small store in downtown Tyrone. Pike later added a horse-drawn wagon so that he could transport and sell candy, popcorn and peanuts at local fairs and carnivals. The company grew over the years by expanding its product line to satisfy customer needs. Today, Gardners Candies has 10 retail stores in Pennsylvania, beautifully decorated with taste-tempting candies that some have described as “simply out of this world.” The company prides itself on its reputation for quality products at affordable prices and a commitment to customer satisfaction. Gardners Candies is over 100 years old and credits its success to Pike’s philosophy of giving customers rich quality products and great service, and striving to make the best even better. You can also visit their ice cream parlor, candy store and candy museum in Tyone.

 

Peeps

No Easter basket is complete without a few of these famous treats. Peeps are marshmallows that are shaped into chicks, bunnies, and other animals and manufactured in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In 1953, candy company Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company and its marshmallow chick line, and replaced the painstaking process of hand-forming the chicks with mass production. New shapes other than the chicks were produced following a theme according to the season starting in the 1960s. 20 years later, the Marshmallow Peeps Bunny was released as a popular year round shape of the candy. The yellow chicks were the original form of the candy — hence their name and used primarily to fill Easter baskets, though recent advertising campaigns market the candy as “Peeps – Always in Season”, as Peeps has since expanded to include Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day; since 2014 it has been available year-round with the introduction of Peeps Minis.

 

K’Nex

K’Nex is a construction toy system invented by American Joel Glickman. The concept behind K’Nex was originally conceived by Glickman while attending a wedding. There, he started thinking of what he could do with his straw if he could connect it to other straws. He and his brother Bob Glickman discussed the idea and started the K’Nex company. It was first introduced in 1992 and K’Nex products are designed and produced in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. The toy’s building system consists of interlocking plastic rods, connectors, blocks, gears, wheels, and other components, which can be pieced together to form a wide variety of models, machines, and architectural structures. K’Nex is designed for older (5- to 12-year-old) builders, although a larger-sized version, Kid K’Nex, is aimed towards younger children. The toy has been released and marketed in various stores, as well as online websites. K’Nex has released various sets, educational kits, and models consisting of assorted parts, which continue to be highly popular.

 

TastyKake

Tastykake is a line of snack foods manufactured by the Tasty Baking Company, currently headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philip J. Baur and Herbert T. Morris founded the company, in the Germantown neighborhood along Sedgley Avenue, in 1913. Morris’s wife came up with the Tastykake name. Tasty Baking Company quickly established success for its Tasty brand, grossing $300,000 in sales by the end of 1914. Sales began to expand throughout Eastern Pennsylvania. During World War II, the company sent thousands of cakes and pies overseas to soldiers in both the European and Pacific/Asian theaters, vastly expanding its market. Tastykake expanded further and sales doubled in the late 1950s and early 1960s when the company installed state-of-the-art machinery. In 1989 Tasty Baking repackaged its Tastykake products. The company also began a new line of cakes and pies, in flavors that changed monthly, and introduced a line of honey-graham cookies, called Tasty Bears.

 

Yuengling

No survey of Pennsylvania manufacturing would be complete without the Commonwealth’s thriving brewing industry. D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in America, established in 1829. David G. Yuengling, a German brewer from the Kingdom of Wurttemberg, moved to the United States in 1828. He settled in Pottsville, Pennsylvania and started a brewery there. It has the distinction of having the longest constant history of management by a single family in the country. It is one of the largest breweries by volume in the country. Based on volume sold, Yuengling was the top craft company in the U.S. Based on sales, Yuengling was tied with the Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams brands, as the largest American- owned brewery. Its headquarters are in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Yuengling produces about 3 million barrels annually, operating two Pennsylvania facilities and a brewery in Tampa, Florida.

Zippo 

The iconic Zippo lighter is manufactured by American Zippo Manufacturing Company of Bradford, Pennsylvania. George G. Blaisdell founded Zipp in 1932, and produced the first Zippo lighter in early 1933, being inspired by an Austrian cigarette lighter of similar design. It got its name because Blaisdell liked the sound of the word “zipper” and “zippo” sounded more modern. On March 3, 1936, a patent was granted for the Zippo lighter. Zippo lighters became popular in the United States military, especially during World War II—when Zippo ceased production of lighters for consumer markets and dedicated all manufacturing to the US military. Thousands of different styles and designs have been made in the eight decades since their introduction including military versions for specific regiments. Since its invention Zippos have been sold around the world and have been described “a legendary and distinct symbol of America”. In 2012 the company produced the 500-millionth unit.

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