Historic Boston: Baker Chocolate Factory

You remember watching “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” when you were a kid. You were totally jealous of Charlie - because, really, who wouldn’t want to live in a chocolate factory? It’s a pretty sweet deal (sorry, couldn’t resist that one…). Believe it or not, it’s possible to live in a chocolate factory right here in Boston. A former chocolate factory, anyway. It’s not the same as Charlie’s experience, for sure, since the Neponset River takes the place of a chocolate river and there isn’t an oompa loompa in sight. The history of Baker Chocolate Factory in the Lower Mills area of Dorchester does have its fair share of Wonka-worthy drama, though: smuggling, a mysterious disappearance, sketchy business exchanges, ego, and worldwide renown. Established in 1765 as the first chocolate mill in the country by Dr. John Baker and his partner John Hannon, their business was so successful that it was necessary for them to smuggle in cacao beans during the Revolutionary War in order to continue production. Hannon went on a trip to the West Indies in 1779 to buy cacao beans for the company, and he never returned. It’s rumored that Baker bullied Hannon’s widow into selling her share in the company, which she did in 1780, and from then on the company was called Baker’s Chocolate Company. The company prospered, and Baker built more buildings as the demand for his products increased. It remained under Baker family ownership until the mid-19th century. One of the last Bakers to operate the factory, Walter Baker named the company after himself in 1824, calling it Walter Baker &

Company, and his name adorns one of the existing buildings. The company reached the height of its prosperity in the mid- to late-19th century. After winning awards at international exhibitions, releasing a cookbook, and undertaking a massive advertising campaign, the company made Baker’s Chocolate a household name. Production stopped at the Dorchester factory in 1969, when the Kraft-owned company relocated to Delaware. Baker’s Chocolate is still in production and is sold in major supermarkets.The factory buildings were renovated beginning in the 1990s into loft-style condos and apartments, some of which are designated for local artists. But unless you know someone who lives there, not even a golden ticket can get you inside the buildings. Bostonist recommends taking care of your sweets fix at the Ice Creamsmith and wandering around the neighborhood, checking out the exterior of the factory buildings and taking in everything else the neighborhood has to offer. Located on Adams Street in Dorchester, close to the Milton line and on the Ashmont trolley line, it’s a part of the city that most people don’t know about. There are two great antiques shops nearby, Dark Horse Antiques and Streamline Antiques , and a fair-trade coffee shop . The dramatic days of chocolate production are long over, but the remaining buildings provide an atmosphere very different from other parts of the city. The only thing to be careful of is the lemon custard ice cream at the Ice Creamsmith—it’s so good that you might just turn into an Augustus Gloop. Be warned. Post contributed by Kate Danckert

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Historic Boston: Baker Chocolate Factory