Crossroads Antique Mall – A Treasure Trove of History

Crossroads Antique Mall in Hershey proves that antiques illuminate history. Not an ordinary antique emporium found in a shopping center, Crossroads Antique Mall in Hershey is in a building that is in itself…history.

The barn that envelopes Crossroads Antique Mall is part of Milton Hershey’s legacy. The chocolatier with a broad vision beyond the landscape of his day built a futuristic (at the time) town around his famous factory located out in the middle of nowhere in central Pennsylvania.

Milton Hershey’s Vision Still Standing

Milton Hershey needed fresh milk for his new invention, Milk Chocolate.  He needed a beautiful place for his employees to live, not wanting to replicate slum factory towns of the era. He also envisioned his “Industrial School” complete with working farms so youngsters could learn a practical trade.

Enter the barn now housing Crossroads Antique Mall. This was once one of Milton Hershey’s agribusiness school/farms.  The magnificent barn has stood the ravages of time, and today still stands tall and proud, its long sloping roof and overhanging eaves sheltering and protecting the precious treasures located throughout two floors of the barn.

Far more than chocolate, Milton Hershey built the Hershey Theatre, Hersheypark, Hershey Gardens, built schools, created verdant neighborhoods, and established a legacy throughout the region, including the very fertile Lebanon Valley (source of grass and hay for his cows for his milk chocolate!) This vision into the future continues to today, and various Hershey “entities” such as the Milton S. Hershey Foundation, Hershey’s (chocolate confections), and the Milton S. Hershey Trust intend to keep that legacy alive permanently.

Treasures Around Every Corner – 70+ Booths

The precious treasures housed within Milton Hershey’s old barn offer the passerby a chance to look into the past…in one dealer’s booth…a glance into mid century modern; in another’s booth, explore the Arts & Crafts movement or baseball cards, or Victorian pottery or…it is endless!  Explore for hours and when you think you have found every treasure in the barn, turn a corner and find another booth, or a new floor discovered to peruse.

Over 70 independent vendors manage their own booths, keeping all their wares dust free and stocked.  Each manages their own inventory, and as one visitor commented, “You have to come often, the entire place can change over in a matter of weeks.”

The layout of two of the barn’s main floors invites the visitor to linger longer at Crossroads Antique Mall. As soon as one enters, over four aisles open in various directions, each beckoning you for a closer look. The more you wonder about the labyrinthine layout, the more you discover. Eventually, one finds a staircase leading to the lower level, which appears to be even LARGER than the main floor. 

Architecture

• Large old Pennsylvania barns were built to last, often using enormous chestnut logs. Chestnut trees were obliterated in the mature stage of growth by a chestnut blight in the mid-20^th century.
• We know the huge beams were originally exposed in the barn and can only imagine how wonderful the loft must be as the barn design brings all the support structure together at the top.  Unfortunately, the top floor (loft) is not open to the public, but one can imagine how grand it must be. Just knowing how massive the beams are (now covered by modern walls in order to create display space) and what must be happening architecturally in the loft, makes one appreciate the ingenuity, determination, as well as the progressive attitude of the building’s founder, Milton Hershey.
  

We believe just being in this historic structure punctuates the experience of examining ephemera, furnishings, clothing, tools and toys of another era, all laid out for a wandering prospective new owner. Every hour, treasure after treasure leaves the barn, headed to a new home and a new life of being loved and appreciated. What was old is newly appreciated once more. Stop by and find a piece of history for yourself.

If You Go to Explore

Towering over 825 Cocoa Ave, Hershey, PA 17033, Crossroads Antique Mall is very close to Hersheypark, Hershey Gardens, Hershey Theatre, Chocolate World, and downtown Hershey.

Enjoy your stay here at Hershey’s Five Star Annville Inn, famous for

• Rosalie’s breakfasts and hospitality
• Our quiet country elegance
• Amazing views…

And more amenities than most inns: 

• Full sized in-ground swimming pool
• Six-person hot tub
• 20-seat movie theatre with Dolby 7.1 Surround just like at the “movies”
• Plant conservatory glassed in on all sides with a wood burning fireplace for winter
• Three acres of botanical gardens with over 600 roses and 10,000 bulbs. 
• Large game room with pool table
• Three dining areas for breakfast,
• Jacuzzis in Guest Rooms,
• Most rooms with private entrances and decks
• Fireplaces in all rooms
• King and queen beds throughout
• …and much more to enjoy at Annville Inn!