On February 10, 2017, Albert Boscov left this world as he had lived in it—sharing love. His final words to his wife, Eunice, were “Eunie, I love you,” capping nearly six decades of partnership. For many, this tender farewell summed up the character [...]
The Barbey–Quier–Hawley story begins with the Reading Eagle itself. In 1868, Jesse G. Hawley and William S. Ritter founded the paper that would anchor Reading’s public life for generations. In 1895, editor Edwin Addams Quier married Hawley’s daughter, Helen, knitting the Hawley and [...]
Charles A. Reed was born in 1914 in a first-floor bedroom of a white stone-and-stucco farmhouse on the south side of Tuckerton Road, between Reading Crest Avenue and Stoudt’s Ferry Bridge Road. His father, Ellsworth, had bought the 55 acres in 1910; his [...]
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 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; [...]
On Wednesday morning, June 25, 1884, the Latin word "In limine" was placed above the stage at Reading's Grand Opera House. It translates to "On the Threshold," and it was the slogan of Reading High School's newest graduating class. Commencement had never been held [...]
President George Washington was once the city’s guest, on October 1, 1794, when he came here from Philadelphia and remained over night at the Farmers’ Bank building, then the Federal Inn. Previously Washington had been at Womelsdorf and other parts of the county. [...]
William H. Luden (1859-1949) was the developer of the menthol cough drop and founder of the Luden's company and brand. The son of an immigrant father from the Netherland’s, Luden quit school at the age of 15 and became an apprentice candy maker. [...]
One of the most productive residents of the City of Reading during its period of major growth had absolutely nothing to do with business, commerce, or the trades. He was Monsignor George Bornemann, and he served as pastor of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic [...]
In the annals of Reading, Pennsylvania’s commercial history, few stories capture the spirit of grit, humor, and community connection as vividly as that of Solomon Boscov, the Russian immigrant who built a retail empire from a few dry goods and a horse-drawn wagon. [...]
