Reading, Pennsylvania at a Preservation Crossroads
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07, 2026
26
12, 2025
The Latino Heritage of Reading and Berks County
Walk down Penn Street in Reading today, and you'll hear the rhythms of salsa and merengue drifting from storefronts, smell the savory aromas of arroz con pollo and mofongo wafting from family-owned restaurants, and see signs in both English and Spanish welcoming customers. [...]
2
12, 2024
Historic Firefighters’ Parade Celebrated Reading’s Bicentennial
On October 7, 1948, Reading, Pennsylvania, hosted one of the most memorable parades in its history as part of the city’s bicentennial celebrations. The event combined a tribute to Reading’s 200-year legacy with recognition of its firefighting community, marking the conclusion of the 69th [...]
26
10, 2024
Reading, PA: The Accidental Post-Apocalyptic Wonderland of the Urban Renewal Era
If you were a resident of Reading, Pennsylvania, in the mid to late 20th century, you may have seen what happens when “urban renewal” dreams big and delivers rubble. Yes, the town’s planners wanted to reshape Reading into a gleaming modern paradise; what [...]
4
10, 2024
German American Heritage Month
As the Reading Liederkranz celebrates Oktoberfest we are reminded that the month of October is German Heritage Month. German people began moving to Pennsylvania as early as 1683. Between 1683 and 1783, more than 100,000 German-speaking immigrants from the Palantine, Wurttemberg, and Hesse; [...]
20
02, 2022
Don’t Give Up on Reading
By MaryBeth. Thank you for creating GoReadingBerks, one of my go-to websites when I need a dose of hometown nostalgia. Like you, I have fond memories of growing up in Reading. My memories include: being eye level with cases full of Pennsylvania Dutch [...]
24
09, 2021
The Heritage of Reading: 1910-1940: New Annexations; the Automobile; the Suburbs; the Great Depression
By 1910 it was clear to Reading’s leaders that the biggest progress was quickly moving beyond the City limits. A few new suburban industries were already finding their locations an asset. Lower land prices were attractive, there were fewer restrictions on developable land, [...]
24
09, 2021
The Heritage of Reading: 1874-1910: The Height of Progress, Trollies, and the First Suburbs
Between the year in which Reading became a Third Class City and the year in which Reading’s prosperity is said to have reached its peak, the City underwent some major physical changes as it saw the years of its greatest progress. The underlying [...]
23
09, 2021
The Heritage of Reading: 1847—1874: Annexations: Industrial Expansion; the Building Industry
Development from the City Charter till 1874, when Reading received a new charter and became a City of the Third Class, progressed steadily and through the same forces which guided it prior to 1847. Population increased from 15,743 in 1850 to 23,162 in [...]
23
09, 2021
The Heritage of Reading: 1813-1847: Canals, Heavy Industry, and the Railroad
The town of Reading was chartered as a borough by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1783, and granted a new Borough Charter in 1813, with the legal boundaries set beyond those of the original town plan. The northern and southern boundaries were still [...]