Rising 19 stories or 275 ft., the county courthouse is the tallest building in Reading. The courthouse, located at the northeast corner of Sixth and Court Streets, was the only skyscraper and art-deco style temple of justice in the United States when it [...]
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 [...]
Aaron Albright made a startling recommendation to his employers in June 1856. He proposed building a tunnel 2,500 feet long under Alsace Hill in Muhlenberg Township. Albright was chief engineer of the Reading Water Co. The company, formed March 16, 1819, supplied water [...]
The Neversink Mountain Reservoir was built in 1936, on just over 29 acres of land, which was acquired by the city in 1865 for $890. The cost of construction, including fixing the initial leaks, was $202,000. The Reservoir is a flat spot on [...]
During the Civil War, Scott Foundry, Reading, PA, tested army and navy cannons on the slope of Neversink Mountain. Near the proving grounds was a strong run of water that originated as a spring. Miniature water wheels were constructed and placed along the [...]
Across the ridge of Mount Penn, Reading, PA, extends the Skyline Boulevard or Skyline Drive. Motorists who fail to drive across the boulevard when visiting the City of Reading are depriving themselves of an un-paralleled view of Reading and countryside for miles around. [...]
The Pagoda and the William Penn Memorial Fire Tower are two of three landmarks on Mount Penn. The third is a large peace sign painted on a large rock on Mount Penn facing Reading. In 1967, LeRoy G. Levan and a handful of [...]
The Gruber Wagon Works, recognized as a National Historic Landmark, exists as one of the finest examples of late nineteenth century manufacturing in the United States. The wagon works, which contains over 19,000 artifacts and depicts the business peak production years of the [...]
The White Chapel was built forty-seven years before it became part of Albright College. In 1836, Jonathan E. Deininger built Linden Hall, a mansion on a 4 1/2-acre estate at 13th & Exeter streets. The Central Pennsylvania Diocese of the Protestant Episcopal [...]
In 1743, Richard and Thomas Penn (sons of William Penn the founder of Pennsylvania, and grandsons of Sir William Penn for whom Pennsylvania is named) planned the town of Reading with Conrad Weiser. It was named Reading, after the county town in Berkshire, [...]
