Schools of Reading, PA and Berks County
17
09, 2026
19
06, 2024
First Public “Colored School” in Reading, PA
Jenny Terry, a former slave, became the matriarch of a large and important family in Reading’s history. Jenny first arrived in the city with her nine children: Moses J., Johnson L., Charles L., Lee B., Frank, Andrew, Helen, Barbara, and Mary. Jenny had been [...]
1
05, 2024
Saving a Sculptured Head from the former Girls’ High School
During the demolition of the Girls' High School at the corner of 4th and Court Streets in September 1961, Peter Zuk, president of Zuk Lumber & Demolition Co., Inc. of Belvidere, N.J., whose business had been hired to tear down the old school, received [...]
24
03, 2022
St. Peter Reading Catholic High School
By the beginning of the 20th century in Reading there was an urgent need for a Catholic secondary school. In order to meet the advanced academic needs of the Reading high school-age population, St. Peter High School was founded in 1911. St. Peter’s [...]
1
08, 2021
Ancona’s School – Alsace Township
At the junction of Friedensburg Road and Old Spies Church Road, about a half-mile past the former Stony Creek Mills in Lower Alsace Township, stands an interesting stone structure that prior to enlargement had been a horse stable. Before that, it was Ancona’s [...]
22
01, 2021
A convent and orphanage for the Bernardine Sisters and Alvernia University
Many of the new immigrants, particularly in the second half of the nineteenth century, were from Poland and were looking for a new land with religious and civil freedoms. Pennsylvania would be the land of opportunity for many immigrants, some of whom would [...]
28
12, 2020
Reading CollegeTowne | Alvernia University
The remodeling and retrofitting of the former CNA building at 401 Penn Street in downtown Reading has started. Alvernia University finalized the purchase of the building on June 30, 2020. Below: CNA building at 401 Penn Street in downtown Reading. Click images to [...]
23
11, 2020
Reading Area Community College
Amid a great deal of controversy and opposition from a number of sources, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Reading Area Community College opened its doors for the first time on Oct. 13, 1971. Classes were held for the first time on October [...]
13
07, 2020
Lorane Elementary School – Exeter Township
The cornerstone for the Lorane Elementary School building, Exeter Township, was laid during afternoon ceremonies on July 12, 1959. The new structure was built to relieve over-crowded conditions in both the elementary and high school buildings. Initially, it housed six sections of 7th [...]
12
07, 2020
Octagon Schoolhouse in Sinking Spring
Located off the northwest corner of Mull and Penn Avenue was an Octagon Schoolhouse - a true landmark in Sinking Spring. This building was built on the property where the Tulpehocken Welsh Baptist Church had been located along with a cemetery. This church, [...]