The Wilbur Chocolate's Candy Americana Museum in Lititz, Pennsylvania, is a chocolate lover's delight and a fun visit for the whole family. Lititz is near Lancaster, in the heart of Amish country. It was here in the early part of the 20th century that the famous chocolate-making Wilbur family expanded the business that had been founded by H.O. Wilbur in Philadelphia in 1865. The Wilburs started out making chocolate confections and other candy with a kettle, a coal fire, some buckets and a marble slab. They grew into one of the largest private enterprises in the United States, with a branch company in Canada. Wilbur's now produces over 240 million pounds of chocolate products and other food items annually.
In 1972 Penny Buzzard, wife of former company president John Buzzard, created the Candy Americana Museum. She scoured antique shows and flea markets in search pf chocolate memorabilia and artifacts. Her collection grew to over 1000 varieties of boxes, tins and molds which she placed on display in the museum. Colleagues learned of Penny's efforts and began to contribute copper kettles, marble slabs, starch trays, antique candy-making machinery and other paraphernalia. The museum's most cherished possession is a collection of more than 150 hand-painted European and Oriental chocolate pots bearing some of the most prestigious names in the industry.
The original museum was a one-room affair. It has expended, and now includes a candy kitchen where visitors can watch the creation of such delicious treats as almond butter crunch, homemade marshmallow, mint drizzle, almond bark, heavenly hash and peanut butter meltaways. You can take a video journey through the world of chocolate, going all the way back to the time of the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez, who in 1519 found the Aztecs of Mexico drinking xocoatl, which they said was the food of the gods. In Wilbur Buds, the museum's retail store, visitors can choose from a vast selection of chocolate and other candy products, as well as a chocolate spa collection that includes soap, body butter and hand cream.
