When Holy Guardian Angels Parish was formally established in Hyde Park in 1929, it began with fewer than 100 families. Many of its earliest parishioners were Italian immigrants who had settled in Temple during the 1920s. With limited transportation and the nearest Italian [...]
Editor's Note: GoReadingBerks does not endorse any political party, candidate, or economic ideology. This article examines the renewed national debate over the American System because of its historical relevance to Reading and Berks County. Our goal is to distinguish documented historical facts from [...]
There was a time in Hyde Park when one building held nearly everything a parish needed. It stood along Kutztown Road, built of rough-textured brick with contrasting trim, seventy-eight feet long and fifty-seven feet wide. Its architecture was described as English Norman, but [...]
Cross the Penn Street Bridge heading west and you arrive, in an instant, at what generations of city leaders have called “the Gateway” to Reading. For more than a century, the intersection of Second and Penn Streets has been the city’s front door: [...]
The socialist movement in Reading, Pennsylvania, from 1896 to 1958, stands as a remarkable chapter in American political history. Unlike the broader national Socialist Party of America (SPA), which struggled to gain traction, Reading’s Socialist Party carved out a stronghold, achieving significant electoral [...]
For over a century, the Home for Widows and Single Women stood as a symbol of compassion and care in Reading, providing a safe haven for elderly women in need. Established in 1875, the home was founded by a group of concerned citizens [...]
Monsignor John J. Grabish has devoted over five decades to serving the Catholic Church and its communities, embodying a life of faith, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to helping others. From his ordination in 1972 to his present role as pastor of St. [...]
As more cities and states across the U.S. adopt Indigenous Peoples' Day in place of Columbus Day, a national conversation is taking shape about how to reconcile two different but equally important narratives of American history. On one hand, Indigenous Peoples' Day represents [...]
Theodore Ignatius Heizmann began the construction of St. Cecilia's Chapel in 1892-1893 in memory of his mother, Mary Cecilia Heizmann. Theodore Ignatius Heizmann was born in Reading Dec. 14, 1838. He attended the private schools of the city and later Mount St. Mary’s College, [...]
Special contribution by Local Historian "Sharon Merolli." The following is a description of the first and only parade of the Mummers’ Association in Reading on January 1, 1908, from various news articles by the Reading Eagle and Reading Times. On a crisp and [...]
