Sweet History: Dorchester and the Chocolate ... - Bostonian Society

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SWEET HISTORY: Dorchester and the Chocolate Factorywww.bostonhistory.org/bakerschocolate/TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------ 3 Company Ownership ----------------------------------- 3 John Hannon ---------------------------------------- 4 James Baker (1780-1804) ------------------------- 5 Edmund Baker (1804-1823) ---------------------- 6 Walter Baker (1823-1852) ------------------------ 8 Sidney B. Williams (1852-1854) ----------------- 9 Henry L. Pierce (1854-1895) -------------------- 10 Corporate Ownership (1995-Present) ---------- 12 Lower Mills Buildings -------------------------------- 13 Technical Improvements ------------------------------ 21 THE CHOCOLATE -------------------------------------- 24 Baker’s Chocolates ------------------------------------ 24 La Belle Chocolatière --------------------------------- 28 Advertising, Marketing and Promotion ------------- 31 How Chocolate is Made ------------------------------ 36 THE VILLAGE ------------------------------------------- 42 Lower Mills History ----------------------------------- 42 Other Chocolate Makers ------------------------------ 46 Lower Mills Today ------------------------------------ 48 THE PEOPLE --------------------------------------------- 53 Working at Baker’s ------------------------------------ 53 Employee Relations ----------------------------------- 63 RESOURCES ---------------------------------------------- 66 Baker’s Chocolate Chronology-----------------------66 Sources Cited ------------------------------------------- 72 Credits --------------------------------------------------- 762 of 76© 2005 The Bostonian Society. Nothing from the site can be reproduced without specific written permission issued by:The Bostonian Society • 206 Washington Street • Boston, MA 02109-1773. Any questions, call 617-720-1713.
SWEET HISTORY: Dorchester and the Chocolate Factorywww.bostonhistory.org/bakerschocolate/INTRODUCTIONIn 1765 John Hannon, with financier James Baker, began making one of the first chocolateproducts in America, in a saw mill powered by the Neponset River, just outside Boston inMilton, Massachusetts. A few years later Baker bought out Hannon’s share of the businessand created the first products known as Baker’s Chocolate. James Baker, and later his sonEdmund, expanded the business, and Edmund moved it across the river to Dorchester. Butit was not until the late 19th century, under the leadership of Henry Pierce, that Baker'sChocolate became the brand consumers and collectors still recognize today.We invite you to learn more about Baker's Chocolate, its workers, and the community ittransformed, through this online exhibition. You can examine a wide selection of photographs,advertisements, and artifacts by taking a guided tour of the exhibition using the “NextPage” arrows near the top right of each page. Or, navigate to only those topics that interestyou by using the drop down menus. In the Resources section you'll find a chronologicalhistory of Baker’s Chocolate, a walking tour of the Baker's mill area, and, for seriousresearchers, a downloadable copy of the entire exhibition text with footnoted sources.The Bostonian Society is grateful to theDorchester Historical Society, the Milton Historical Society, and Kraft Foodsfor their support of this exhibition and the use of their collections.COMPANY OWNERSHIPAlthough the business that became Baker’s chocolate began with John Hannon in 1765, itwas the Baker family that made that company into a household name. From 1780 to1895, for 115 years Baker’s Chocolate remained, in one form or another, within the Bakerfamily. The long company history began with James Baker in 1780. When James retired,he passed the business along to his son Edmund in 1804. After growing the company forover twenty years Edmund turned over chocolate making to his son Walter in 1823. Foralmost thirty years Walter Baker expanded production and made Baker’s Chocolate arecognizable name across the country. Walter did not have a son involved in the chocolatebusiness, so when he died the company was passed along to his brother-in-law andlong-time assistant, Sidney Williams. Unfortunately Sidney died suddenly after only twoyears. Walter Baker’s step-nephew, Henry Pierce, then took over the company. For overforty years Pierce grew the company and increased production capacity to make Baker’sChocolate known world-wide. When Pierce decided to incorporate the company in 1895,Baker’s Chocolate ceased to be a family business.Due to multiple marriages, the connections between owners of the company can be difficultto decipher. See the charts below to understand the family relationships.3 of 76© 2005 The Bostonian Society. Nothing from the site can be reproduced without specific written permission issued by:The Bostonian Society • 206 Washington Street • Boston, MA 02109-1773. Any questions, call 617-720-1713.
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Sweet History: Dorchester and the Chocolate ... - Bostonian Society

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