The northwest corner property at Sixth and Penn Streets of former Outlot No. 8 of the original town plan of Reading was originally sold by the Penns in 1749 to John Epler. Two years later John’s brother Adam was listed as owner. In [...]
The Penn View Motel, located on the block between 2nd and 3rd Streets on Penn Avenue in West Reading, was part of a chain of nine motels called Host Ways Motel. This highly recognizable landmark was clearly visible from the West-Shore By-Pass and [...]
Michael Brecht, (1732-1814), the third son of an emigrant, came to Reading in January 1752, the year Berks County was established, and built a simple dwelling on lot No. 391 as stipulated in the land patent of July 16, 1752. The lot, 60 [...]
Ground was broken for the former Berkshire Hotel, Northwest corner of Fifth and Washington Streets, Reading, PA, on the 16th day of December, 1913. Construction work began the next day. Two months were lost, however, due to extreme cold weather, which means that [...]
On October 19, 1778 Mr. Hall sold the property located at the Southeast Corner of 5th & Penn Streets to Mark Bird. Mark Bird, of Birdsboro, conveyed the property to John Bishop, of Exeter. Mr. Bishop by will dated February 20, 1812, devised [...]
Just down the creek from the breast of Bernhart’s Dam was the Spring Valley Hotel. It had been in existence more than a century. Over the many years, thousands and thousands of people spent pleasant summer days at picnics, pigeon shoots, baseball games [...]
The Sho-Boat was located at the northwest corner of Schuylkill Ave. and Blair Ave., Reading. The brick hotel building dated from 1893 when erected by Augustus Resh who dubbed his property Somerset Park. An 1896 map shows a very large square structure north [...]
The city of Reading is bounded on the west by the Schuylkill River, on the east by Mount Penn, and on the south by Neversink Mountain. Overlooking the city on Mount Penn are two landmarks, a Japanese-style pagoda, and the William Penn Memorial [...]
In November 1891, a contract was issued to local builder Levi H. Focht to erect the Neversink Mountain Hotel, which was to sit atop the mountain almost directly above 23rd and Perkiomen Avenue. An army of workmen was hired for the task that [...]
Early in 1972 reports were circulating in regard to construction of a new motel-hotel on the site where not long before were scattered remains of 18th century industry, small storage sheds, and piles of scrap metal. The project was proceeding without delay despite [...]
