Today I’d like to take a quick look at a pair of late 70’s wrappers I have for souvenir Pennsylvania Amish chocolate bars.
I’ve never been to Amish country, though I hear it is quite lovely (I need to schedule a getaway to the area, now that I think about it).
As a child growing up in Nebraska my family did take us to Iowa’s Amana Colonies, which has a history that shares a few outward similarities to Amish culture, in that they created so much of their own wares and goods – they’re also known for their carpentry and craftsmanship.
At least that’s the way I remember it in my adolescent eyes – everything seemed very “old-fashioned” and hand made. I recall my visit to the Amana Colonies as witnessing an old loom creating fabric and getting unusual flavors of sodas in glass bottles with odd re-sealable ceramic and rubber toppers. Unlike Amish Country, I believe the Amana Colonies were not averse to modern technology, though they prided themselves on self-sufficiency. The community apparently still exists though tourism has become an important part of their local economies.
Getting back on topic to the Pennsylvania Amish; these days the Amish culture has become something of a pop-cultural staple which is ironic considering their humble and private perspectives, with Amish characters appearing in film and real-life Amish teenagers getting their own reality TV shows. So perhaps at this point Amish-branded candy might seem a bit passe – but I still think it’s fun to see.
Today’s focus is a pair of charming 1970’s-era Pennsylvania Amish chocolate bar wrappers I added to my collection last year – and here they are:
Pennsylvania Amish Co Inc – Pennsylvania Amish Milk Chocolate with Toasted Almonds bar – candy wrapper – circa 1979
Pennsylvania Amish Co Inc – Pennsylvania Amish Milk Chocolate Crunch bar – candy wrapper – circa 1979
Though they sport images of horse-drawn carriages with quaint old-fashioned design flourishes, I have to wonder whether any Amish folk had anything at all to do with the manufacture of these bars. You would hope that with a name like “Pennsylvania Amish Co., Inc.” that they’d be founded and operated by the Amish people, but that may not have been the case.
Unfortunately, I could find no information about the company online so I assume that it has long-since closed its doors. [Edit: That, or it’s simply that the Amish don’t put up websites.] But at least we have these neat little wrappers to remember them by.
And that’s everything for today’s look back at a bit of souvenir sweets from 1970’s Amish Country.
See you next time!
I have a vague recollection of these. I remember seeing them at Dutch Pantry, a chain of restaurants that were on the Penna Turnpike during the time period. They sold them in the candy & snack shop.
(Amish aren’t necessarily averse to all technology. They make great cheeses, and use completely modern facilities.)
Wow, I had no idea. I always figured that they were averse to anything that used electricity. Fascinating!
The “DIST.” gives it away. It is the distributor, while some other company manufactures the candy.
There it is. Good catch!
These were labeled & distributed by a small, family owned company. They were not Amish & Mt. Holly Springs would not be considered to be in Amish/Dutch country. The company was closed and sold in 1980 when the owner died. The chocolate bars were manufactured by Wilbur in Lititz, PA., which is in Amish/Dutch country..