144 North Mulberry Street Lancaster, PA
In the 1880s this 1-½ story house was home to confectioner / cake maker John T. Wein and wife Elizabeth (McDonnel) Wein. Mr. Wein learned the confection business while working for Joseph R. Royer in Lancaster, as did Milton Hershey, who later became the chocolate king.
Mr. Wein left Royer's a few years before Milton Hershey began apprenticing there. In 1868 Wein purchased a confectionery shop from Joseph Royer's brother, Israel Royer, on North Queen Street.
John Wein moved his home and confection shop several times in Lancaster. He had his home and a cake-and-candy shop at this Mulberry Street house in the 1880s. A brick bake oven was attached to the rear of the house at that time. When John Wein passed away in 1898 he was survived by eleven children. Cakes, candy, and ice cream had undoubtedly been a primary food group for those eleven kids. Cherry trees flower here each spring.