Some people collect photographs, antiques, books, or family records. My passion is preserving the history and stories of Reading and Berks County, Pennsylvania.

That passion became GoReadingBerks—a local history platform devoted to documenting the people, places, businesses, traditions, and events that shaped the region. What began as a college class project has grown into a digital preservation effort connecting people through their shared memories of home.

For me, GoReadingBerks is deeply personal.

Reading is more than a location on a map. It is the city that helped shape who I am. Its neighborhoods, churches, schools, factories, stores, restaurants, parks, and landmarks are all part of a much larger story. Even the places that no longer exist remain alive in the memories of those who experienced them.

How GoReadingBerks Began

I started GoReadingBerks in 1999 while attending Penn State University’s main campus at University Park.

The original website was created as part of a class project. At the time, I could not have known that the project would continue evolving more than two decades later or become such an important part of my life.

The project allowed me to combine technology, writing, research, and my connection to Reading and Berks County. It also helped me recognize the internet’s potential as a tool for preserving local history and making it accessible to people no matter where they lived.

In 1999, local history was often scattered among libraries, newspaper archives, historical societies, family photograph albums, private collections, and the memories of longtime residents. A website offered a new way to bring those stories together and share them with a much larger audience.

That class project planted the seed for what GoReadingBerks would eventually become: a digital home for the history, memories, people, and changing landscape of Reading and Berks County.

Leaving Reading for Virginia

In 2000, one year after starting GoReadingBerks, I moved to Virginia to begin my professional career supporting United States Army aviation at Fort Eustis.

The move opened the door to a long career in mechanical and structural engineering. Over the years, I worked on aircraft structural analysis, modifications, testing, and safety-of-flight reviews involving several military and civilian helicopter platforms.

Although my career took me away from Reading, it did not erase my connection to the city. In many ways, the distance made that connection stronger.

GoReadingBerks gave me a way to remain connected to home.

As the years passed, I began looking back at the places I remembered and wondering how many of their stories were being lost.

Buildings were demolished. Businesses closed. Neighborhoods changed. Photographs disappeared into boxes, basements, and private collections. People who remembered earlier generations grew older, and many of their stories were never recorded.

The college project I began in 1999 gradually became my way of doing something about that loss.

A New Chapter in Alabama

In 2023, I moved from Virginia to Alabama to continue my career supporting the United States Army.

Today, I work as a civilian structural and airworthiness engineer in Army aviation. My professional responsibilities require careful research, attention to detail, sound judgment, and a commitment to accuracy and safety.

Although aircraft engineering and local history may seem unrelated, they rely on many of the same qualities.

Both require examining records, comparing sources, identifying inconsistencies, and understanding how small details fit into a larger picture. Both require questioning unsupported assumptions and documenting conclusions so that others can understand them.

The habits developed throughout my engineering career have influenced the way I approach GoReadingBerks. I try to verify information, preserve important records, investigate conflicting accounts, and present history in a way that is both accurate and understandable.

Moving to Alabama placed me even farther from Reading, but distance has never diminished my connection to my hometown. Through GoReadingBerks, I continue to revisit its landmarks, follow its redevelopment, and remain connected to the people who care about the region.

More Than Nostalgia

Although nostalgia is an important part of GoReadingBerks, the platform is not simply about remembering that things were once different. It is about understanding how Reading and Berks County became what they are today.

The site explores historic landmarks, former businesses, community institutions, notable residents, neighborhood changes, local industries, major events, crime history, and the everyday experiences of those who called the region home.

An article about a former Penn Street business such as Joseph’s clothing store may begin with memories of shopping downtown, but it also tells a broader story about Reading’s commercial strength, changing consumer habits, and the decline of traditional downtown retail.

A photograph of a vanished church, school, theater, factory, or restaurant may appear simple at first. However, it can open a much larger conversation about families, employment, immigration, faith, architecture, and community life.

Every building has a story. Every neighborhood has a history. Every photograph has something to tell us.

Preserving the Stories Others Might Overlook

One of my greatest motivations is preserving stories that may never appear in a traditional history book.

Official histories often focus on prominent leaders, major companies, and nationally significant events. Those stories are important, but local history is also found in corner stores, parish festivals, swimming pools, neighborhood bars, school playgrounds, family-owned restaurants, social clubs, fire companies, and memories shared around kitchen tables.

These ordinary places often had an extraordinary influence on the people who knew them.

GoReadingBerks gives those stories a place to live.

Readers frequently contribute their own memories, photographs, corrections, and family connections. A single post may lead someone to identify an unknown building, recognize a relative in an old photograph, or remember a business that has not been discussed in decades.

That community participation is one of the most rewarding parts of the project. GoReadingBerks is not only a platform where I publish history. It is a gathering place where people help reconstruct the region’s collective memory.

Telling the Complete Story

A meaningful history cannot focus only on pleasant memories.

Reading has experienced periods of prosperity, innovation, industrial strength, cultural growth, and civic pride. It has also endured economic decline, political conflict, organized crime, poverty, population loss, disinvestment, and the destruction of historic properties.

GoReadingBerks attempts to document all of it.

The platform celebrates beloved businesses, important residents, community traditions, and historic landmarks. It also examines controversial events, notable criminal cases, and organized crime in the region.

These difficult subjects are not included to glorify criminal activity. They are documented because they are part of the historical record and influenced the development and reputation of the community.

Understanding the difficult chapters of Reading’s history is just as important as celebrating its accomplishments. The complete story helps explain both the city’s struggles and its resilience.

Creating a Digital Historical Library

Another important part of my passion is making historical information easier for the public to find.

GoReadingBerks includes collections of historical books and archival materials relating to Reading and the broader Berks County region. Many of these resources can be difficult to locate, especially for people who no longer live nearby.

By gathering and highlighting these materials online, the platform helps former residents, researchers, genealogists, students, and local-history enthusiasts reconnect with the area.

The internet has given local historians an opportunity previous generations did not have. A rare photograph, forgotten story, or historical document can now reach people throughout Pennsylvania, across the United States, and around the world.

Distance no longer has to separate someone from the history of home.

Documenting the Present as Future History

GoReadingBerks is rooted in the past, but it is not trapped there.

The stories of today will eventually become the historical record studied by future generations. That is why the platform also documents community events, business openings, redevelopment projects, preservation efforts, and the people working to improve Reading and Berks County.

History is constantly being created.

A building restored today may become a symbol of renewal tomorrow. A new neighborhood business may eventually become a beloved local institution. A photograph taken during a community celebration may become an important historical image decades from now.

By documenting these moments as they happen, GoReadingBerks preserves not only what Reading once was, but also what it is becoming.

A Continuing Connection to Home

Although I left the Reading area in 2000 and now live in Alabama, I never stopped caring about the place that raised me.

GoReadingBerks began before I left Pennsylvania, and it has remained a thread connecting the different chapters of my life. It traveled with me from Pennsylvania to Virginia, back to Pennsylvania, again to Virginia, and eventually to Alabama.

Through the platform, I continue to follow the city’s changes, celebrate restoration efforts, recognize new businesses, revisit old memories, and encourage conversations about Reading’s future.

No matter how far away I live, GoReadingBerks allows me to remain part of the community.

Why I Continue

Maintaining GoReadingBerks requires research, writing, editing, fact-checking, collecting photographs, communicating with readers, and continually searching for stories that deserve attention.

I balance that work with my career supporting Army aviation, but I continue because preserving Reading’s history matters deeply to me.

I want people who grew up in Reading to recognize the places they remember. I want younger residents to understand what existed before them. I want former residents to maintain their connection to the region. I also want forgotten people, businesses, buildings, and community institutions to receive the recognition they deserve.

Most importantly, I do not want Reading’s history to disappear simply because no one took the time to preserve it.

GoReadingBerks is my passion because Reading and Berks County are part of my story. What started as a Penn State class project in 1999 has become a lifelong commitment to preserving the people, places, character, and memories of home.

The streets may change. Buildings may disappear. Businesses may close, and generations may pass. But as long as their stories are researched, recorded, and shared, they are never completely lost.

That is the purpose of GoReadingBerks—and that is why I remain committed to preserving the history of Reading and Berks County for generations to come.